Ratchet & Clank: To Travel The Days
by Max Chronicle
Summary: "Because it's not a time machine Alister, the clock isn't meant to alter time, only keep it!" Legendary words from a legendary hero. Because of two setbacks he chose to leave it all behind. When given a final chance, Ratchet - alongside Clank and Talwyn - will give everything they have with two new heroes to stop Tachyon and bring home the Lombaxes... thirty years ago.
1. IRIS Says

An audible explosion could be heard from outside the IRIS computer terminal, followed by gunfire, crashes, more explosions, and quite a few inappropriate slurs. Moments later, a space pirate came crashing through the sealed doors, broken into bits and pieces. Smoke followed the space pirate inside the terminal and from that smoke, a figure walked through it toward the supercomputer.

"Hello Nathaniel. I've been awaiting your arrival," IRIS greeted.

"That's nice to know." Looking around, Nathaniel saw other monitors, each one showing a random video on different parts of his life. He was uninterested in them, for he knew them all. Turning to face the large monitor that represented IRIS, Nathaniel continued, "that being said, you know what I'm going to ask for then."

He pulled out a small notepad from his relaxed hood and fished in his pocket for the pencil he brought with him. Finding it, Nathan opened the pad to the first page and rested the pencil tip on the paper.

"Indeed, you wish to know about time travel, more specifically, Travel The Days."

"That's correct. What can you tell me of it then?"

"Very little. The Agent Of Time kept the secrets of the artifact well protected, even from my knowledge. However, if you are truly bent on seeking it, you should first consider bringing Ratchet and Clank in on this."

"Those galactic heroes from Solana who currently reside here Ratchet and Clank?"

"They are the only Ratchet and Clank."

"Just making sure then. Continue."

"Travel The Days is an artifact granting its user unlimited altering of time. Made shortly after the Near Temporal Disaster and the construction of the Great Clock, its location has been lost to history. You would need to speak to those who are knowledgeable about time travel."

Nathan gritted his teeth and silently swore. Time travel was a scoffed at subject. The only people who believed in its existence were the Fongoids, but when he tried to talk to them... it didn't go over well. Writing something on the notepad, Nathaniel inquired another question.

"The Great Clock. What is that exactly?"

"The Great Clock. Designed by Orvus in response to the Near Temporal Disaster eons ago. The clock serves as the focal point for temporal normality of the universe and beyond. It is not meant to alter time, only keep it."

"Near Temporal Disaster?"

"Eons ago, the Zoni leader, Orvus gave the Fongoids the gift of time travel."

"Why?"

"The Zoni thought it would enrich their lives as it did theirs but unfortunately—"

"—something went wrong, I presume?"

"Yes. The Fongoids were overzealous in the use of their new gift. After three thousand years, the Fongoids wore the space-time continuum thin. Rips and tears became frequent, rendering several celestial entities asunder."

Nathaniel whistled as he watched footage of the Disaster—the rip destroying everything in its path—it kinda reminded him of someone he knew.

"So, Orvus acted immediately in rectifying this mistake of theirs?"

"That is correct. The response to the Disaster was The Great Clock. It is currently overseen by its Senior Caretaker, Sigmund."

"Has anyone tried to use the Clock for time traveling purposes since its commissioning?"

"It has in fact been used. Twice."

"By who?"

"Alister Azimuth and Orvus' own son Clank."

"Those two?!" Nathan cried out, taken by surprise. "Why?"

"To bring home the Lombaxes and to save Ratchet respectively."

"How'd that happen then?"

"Watch."

(Minutes Later)

 **"** **It's not working, why isn't it working?** **"** General Azimuth asked, confused as to what was happening to the Clock.

 **"** **Because it's not a time machine Alister, the clock isn't meant to alter time, only keep it!** **"** Ratchet told the general, voice rising, trying to get the point across.

 **"** **Thirty seconds until total system failure,** **"** the Clock's supercomputer announced. Staring at the monitor in complete amazement, Nathaniel watched as Azimuth looked around hopelessly at what he caused...

 **"** **I'm so sorry.** **"**

...as Ratchet struggled in vain to change the lever's position, but instead breaking it. Getting up, Ratchet tried to do something only to be stopped by Alister.

 **"** **No, let me.** **"** Alister slowly walked toward the control switch, struggling pass the intense energy given off. **"** **What are you going to do?!** **"** Ratchet called out to him. Looking behind him, the white furred smiled weakly. **"** **Take care of yourself Ratchet.** **"**

Forcing his wrench in, Alister pushed to the right, shifting the inside gears to stop the Clock from making the impossible jump into the past. Although it took a massive effort, Azimuth succeeded and held his wrench there, keeping it from moving back to its old position. Ratchet and Clank ran away, hoping to escape what was to come. Then, a blast of energy came down upon Azimuth, blanketing the room with an intense white light.

The IRIS monitor went dark.

"What happened next?!" The human demanded.

"Azimuth was killed in the explosion. Ratchet, Clank, Sigmund and the Zoni fixed up the Clock afterwards. Then, Ratchet left Clank, thinking that he would choose to stay at the Clock as its caretaker. However, Clank abdicated that position to Sigmund before proceeding to run after Ratchet, hoping to reach Aphelion before they took off."

Nathaniel blinked. Tearing his gaze from the screen, he wrote:

"To keep, not alter" The Great Clock – Orvus

"To alter, not keep" Travel The Days – Unnamed Agent Of Time

"All this will change and nothing will be the same," Nathan whispered. Closing the notepad and returning it to its spot inside his hood, he asked, "IRIS, where can I find Ratchet and Clank now?"

"At the Intergalactic Museum Of History in the Lombax Wing," the computerized voice responded.

"Alright, th—"

"—hold it right there, ye scaly-wag!" A voice cried out from behind. Nathaniel turned around to see seven pirates in total. Standing out in front, three were wielding cutlasses. Behind the cutlass pirates stood four more, all brandishing Combusters. One of the cutlass-wielding pirates stepped up to Nathaniel.

"If you knew what was good for you, you would have taken my warning to your mates seriously," Nathaniel leveled at the approaching pirate.

"And fer that matey, ye'll be swimmin' with ther fishys," the pirate responded, a couple cubits away from Nathan. Several cheers went up from the others.

"I love the invitation, but I am deathly afraid of the 'fishys'," the human replied, looking around. The pirate took his chance and lunged forward. Nathaniel easily sidestepped it, still keeping his eyes off his opponent. He found what he was looking for as he dropped down to avoid a fast, side slice from his pirate foe. Picking up a sword from the broken space pirate, Nathaniel came up instantly, swinging with enough force to disarm his combatant. The cutlass pierced the ceiling. And everyone looked up with relative surprise on their faces.

"Hmm," Nathaniel said, smiling. He looked down to find the pirate slowly backing away from him. "Let's finish this, shall we?"

However, the other two cutlass-wielding pirates decided to take a stand and charged the human. Simply, Nathaniel vanished. All seven pirates paused. They looked around themselves, dumbfounded.

"Whe'd the landlubber go?"

"I'll gut 'ee!"

"Do't let 'ee git away!"

The pirates continued to look around, some taking to investigate outside the supercomputer while the others stayed inside. "Hey," someone called out. The pirates turned to find Nathaniel standing next to them, his sword sticking through one of the Combuster-wielding pirates. Using his sword, Nathaniel tossed the dead pirate to his closest mateys before pulling it out. He charged inside the supercomputer, blocking another lunge with a parry before stepping to the side and coming in to swing upward, slicing his opponent in two.

Nathan stepped back immediately, dodging another swing. He then heard the pop of Combusters and glanced in the direction he heard the noise. Several orange bullets closed in on him and his combatant. Nathaniel again vanished, only to reappear behind his enemy and push him in the way of the bullets. The pirate fell too, yelling in pain as the molten bullets incinerated him. Fishing in his pocket, Nathaniel pulled out a bomblet and activated it.

"Catch!" Nathan called out, throwing the explosive toward the Combuster pirates. Alarmed, they tried to run away and were soon blown to bits. However, what happened next Nathaniel didn't expect at all. It was a blow from behind, square in the back, that sent him down hard on the floor. The next thing Nathaniel knew he was turned around, forcibly grabbed by the collar of his sweater and facing the pirate he'd unarmed. The pirate bored anger right into the human's eyes. Mere centicubits separated the two of them.

"Yur gunna to pay fer this," the pirate spat. Nathaniel grimaced. "Your breath smells like grog. Did you know that?"

The pirate didn't reply. He instead pulled back a fist, ready to ram Nathaniel's face in. As soon as the pirate came in swinging, Nathaniel caught the fist with ease, purple electricity jolting around his hand. The pirate noticed this and tried to pull away. However, he quickly found out he couldn't.

"As I said," Nathaniel began, smirking as more purple electricity started jumping around his body. "'If you knew what was good for you, you would have taken my warning to your mates seriously'."

Now frightened, the pirate let go of Nathan and used his other hand to try and pry his caught hand free. Nathaniel raised his free hand and watched as a purple aura lifted his sword off the ground and came flying into his free hand. Nathaniel let go of the pirate and pointed his blade right at the base of the pirate's chin. The pirate froze in place. "But, obviously," Nathaniel continued. "You didn't."

Nathaniel lowered the blade tip down til it was pointing at the top of the pirate's torso. Instantly, he pushed, and the sword passed through the pirate cleanly, who stood dead on the spot. Pulling out the blade, Nathaniel watched as the pirate fell to the floor. He dropped the cutlass after that, calmly noting the loud clang as it came into contact with the floor. The electricity calmed down and also disappeared.

"Well, that's done."

He turned around and walked back to a nearby teleporter and beamed himself back to the entrance. When he arrived, a voice called forth from the shadows. "You sure took your sweet time."

Nathan chuckled lightly. "Turns out Terin it wasn't a simple 'get in, get out' mission like I thought it would be."

"Knowing you, I'd say you toyed with them."

"It's not every day that you come across insignificant trash beneath your notice."

The other gave a sigh and stepped into the light. He wore a body-tight silver and green armor that was similar in design to the Hyperflux armor. The helmet was retracted back revealing a Lombax face. His fur color was dark silver, and dim green triangles appeared on his ears. His eyes were gold colored with crimson irises and his nose was tilted upward, as if it had an attitude of its own. A small mouth was currently smirking at his friend, revealing his incisors. "'Insignificant Trash'," he said, testing out the phrase for himself. "That's new."

"Yeah, thought that 'pathetic weakling' was getting old."

"A little bit. So Nathan, where are they?"

"The Intergalactic Museum Of History—you owe me five bolts."

"Like that's going to happen," a deep, almost haunted voice started, scaring Nathaniel and putting Terin on alert.

"Zenith!" Nathaniel cried, getting over his shock attack. Terin's ship started up and hovered menacingly above Nathaniel. Nathaniel glared back at the ship with hands at his side, purple electricity crackling between his fingertips.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy Zenith," Terin said, getting in between the other two. The Lombax ship lowered and hovered near Terin, flashing holo-net symbols at Nathan.

"Well, if we're going to ask Ratchet, we better get a move on," Terin commanded, activating his hoverboots and flying up to his ship. Zenith opened his hatch and Terin landed in the seat.

"Agreed," Nathaniel replied, following Terin inside, taking shotgun. As the canopy closed, Nathan turned to Terin, the tiniest hint of smile in his features as he asked, "So, how about those five bolts now?"

Terin laughed before quoting his ship's words. "Like that's going to happen." With that, both flew off into space heading for Igliak, hoping to recruit the famous intergalactic heroes for their plan.

 _ **R &C**_

Gazing through his binoculars, a monstrous figure followed the pair as they left the comet and headed off into space. A tiny flying object approached the creature and showed a recording of the conversation. When the recording was finished, the drone folded itself up into a cube shape and fell into the creature's outstretched claw-like appendage. It then released a maniacal laugh which reverberated through the area, cracking icicles and scaring any remaining pirates out of their already-soiled trousers.

The creature then one-eightied and walked back to his ship: a black stealth fighter with purple claw marks on the wings and nose. The ship was also thrice the size of any standard Lombax fighter. He hopped in and the canopy closed behind him. After putting in coordinates, the ship's engine turned over and ignited, slowly rising higher and higher. Finally, it took off, opposite of where the lombax and human were going. He'd follow them, but first, some things needed to be set in motion.

* * *

 **AN: (12-21-16) Edited. #2 (12-16-17)**


	2. Alliance?

White puffballs freckled the Igliak skies above Meridian City as Zenith pulled on top of landing pad some slight distance from the museum's front entrance. Above them, the sun cast its rays, illuminating the whole city by its light. Next to Zenith sat another lombax ship, resting above ground in silence as Zenith opened his hatch, allowing Nathan to exit.

"Lucky us, Ratchet is still here," Nathaniel said as he stood back up and began moving toward the steps leading to the museum's front door. A crackled resounded in the human's ear as Terin voice soon came on, "Remember the plan?"

"Yeah. I get in, convince Ratchet and Clank to join on our adventure and together we leave to forge new destinies."

"Alright then. Good luck."

"Thanks. I should be back soon."

With that, Nathaniel strolled up the steps and pushed his way through the doors and entered the front lobby. He circled behind the globe statue and came to locked door. Placing a hand on the door, Nathaniel looked around. All was still here; no one would see. He closed his eyes and started to twitch his fingers. Purple electricity flashed across his hand, moved down his arm and soon crackled across his being. Closing his eyes, Nathaniel pushed against the door and vibrated right through it. On the other side was a room filled with exhibits that ran along both walls. Each one was protected and covered by a thick sheet of glass—the human doubted they were bullet-proof.

As he walked along the hall, Nathaniel raised a finger to his ear and activated the com-link that rested there. "Terin, I need some guidance," he began."Can you find where I need to go?"

"Hang on," Terin answered, "I'll check." As the lombax began looking, Nathan amused himself by checking each exhibit—starting with the set that was before him. Two bots stood—side by side— locked in what seemingly was to the human an intense battle. Both showed obvious signs of advanced age, rust marring their fading blue-gray and red-gray paint. Both carried heavy, stout blaster weapons and stared off into the imaginary fray. No stand nearby could supply him with information on the exhibit so Nathaniel turned away, finding space pirates directly opposite of the ancient bots.

"Nathan," Terin started, drawing his friend's attention away from the exhibit. Nathaniel turned away from the pirates and looked down the hall.

"What's up Terin?"

"I found a way for you."

"Cool, where do I go?"

"Alright, there should be a balcony overlooking where you are right now, can you see it?"

Looking up, Nathaniel couldn't see it, the only thing of interest was a grav-target.

"Turn around," Terin deadpanned. Nathan complied and found what he was looking for. He thanked Terin and told him he was going up. "Okay, call me if you need anything," Terin finished before disconnecting with the feed. Nathaniel turned off the com-link and again looked at the platform above him. Suddenly, the human's irises colored themselves purple and he started levitating off the floor. Rising higher, Nathaniel hovered over to the railing and sailed over it, deactivating his flight as he lowered himself to the second floor.

That accomplished, Nathan continued through the museum, going from room to room, taking in the history he had only begun to scratch. Nathaniel discovered many things about the adventures of Ratchet and his companion, Clank, had been through: Be it a robot criminal mastermind; his race's sworn enemy; a deranged media mongul hellbent on views and ratings; an evil leader bent on extorting his own people for an exorbiant amounts of cash or an ex-fan of the galaxy's biggest imbecile (and even the galaxy's biggest imbecile at times) together, those two made a name for themselves and were renowned everywhere as heroes.

"And I thought I already knew a lot about you guys." Nathan said as he left the Hall of Villiany. He passed the threshold and entered the Groovitron room.

"Terin, are you sure that I have to cross this room?" Nathaniel asked, looking around.

"Even if you didn't, Ratchet is two rooms away," Terin supplied. "Better hurry."

Nathaniel didn't need to be told twice. Allowing once again his irises to become purple, Nathaniel began flying toward the opening above him. Making his way through, Nathaniel flew over and parked himself next to an escape pod and windows that boasted a terrific view of the cityscape. However, according to Terin, his target was over in the next room—the Lombax History Wing. Nathaniel hovered his way over to the closed door and dropped down, landing silently, irises retuning to their normal hazel. Gently, Nathan pressed his ear to the door and listened. Nothing caught his attention. Either they had just left or they were in dead silence right now.

" _Only one way to find out,_ " he thought, closing his eyes, placing his right hand on his temple. A series of echoing voices hit him instantly, some belonged to Ratchet, others Clank, and one was even of the late general, Alister Azimuth.

" _There was a time I would 've said yes, but at this point there's more for me here than over there._ "

" _Because it's not a time machine Alister, the clock isn't meant to alter time, only keep it._ "

" _You're lying, Lombaxes don't run._ "

" _Remember the Dimensionator, some risks are not worth taking._ "

" _Or, it could save an entire race of lombaxes who risked their lives to defend this galaxy._ "

Nathaniel broke his telepathic contact and lowered his hand, bowing his head, resting it against the door.

" _Should I really do this?_ " Nathan quietly thought, doubt slowly creeping up on him. " _Should I b_ _ring him into i_ _t?_ _I_ _t's not like we need him, do we_?" Taking a breath, Nathaniel pressed his hand against the door and stalled, " _Alright Nate, it's now or never._ " With newfound cause, Nathaniel pushed against the door which opened before him. At once, he swept over the room with his eyes, taking notice of the intergalactic heroes who stood before a statue of Azimuth. Ratchet was looking down at an object in his hand (The human couldn't be too sure of what it was) and his ears drooped, telling anyone that the lombax was quite melancholy. Clank stood by his pal, motionless, always ready to assist his friend if necessary, which was quite often.

Both heroes noticed the 'whoosh' of the door as it opened and turned their heads to see who walked in. "Hello Ratchet. Clank," Nathaniel greeted, walking toward them. Ratchet and Clank shared curious glances before they faced the stranger again, noting the rumpled, long-sleeved gray sweater, light khaki pants, black shoes worn and polite demeanor displayed at the human's approach. They both could tell that this stranger was here to talk, not fight. Nathaniel stopped some steps away and looked up at the statue of Azimuth.

"A great lombax he was; a shame that he didn't listen."

"What do you know about the Lombaxes?" Ratchet asked, calm but defensive.

"At this point in time, more than you," Nathaniel answered, turning to face the lombax hero.

"Pardon me for intruding, but who are you?" Clank asked. Looking over at the small Zoni robot, Nathaniel smiled and politely bowed his head.

"Pardon me, but where are my manners?" The human said aloud, extending his hand toward Ratchet. "The name's Nathaniel." Ratchet took the offered hand cautiously.

"I assume you know who we are already," he said, shaking Nathaniel's hand.

"I do, but it never hurts to be re-introduced." Nathaniel returned, dropping his hand to his side.

"Well then, I'm Ratchet and this is Clank."

"It's an honor."

"Tell us Nathaniel, why do you wish to speak with us?"Clank questioned, offering a hand. Nathan took the hand and shook it firmly, finally introduced to everyone in the room.

"I'm here to ask both of you if you would like to partake in an endeavor of ours?"

"Ours?" Ratchet queried, confused.

"Indeed," Nathan affirmed. "My friend is outside; I speak for both of us."

"What sort of endeavor then?"

"Over the recent years Ratchet. you have been faced with constant reminders of your past. You say you have moved on, and yet, I find you here. How come?"

Grimacing, Ratchet looked over at his and Clank's statue, lost for words. Seeing as there was no response, Nathan continued, "I don't blame you. One of the greatest races in the history of the universe, reduced to… to… t… tragic banishment, only because they showed mercy. They don't deserve it, at all. So I'm here to ask if you, both of you, would like to bring home the Lombaxes?"

The second Nathan finished, Ratchet looked over at the human, shocked, almost bordering on appalled. Nathaniel wasn't joking, that was obvious. From what Ratchet knew, Nathaniel had possession of knowledge that wasn't exactly public. The Lombaxes in general were a touchy subject at best and a dark chapter at worst, even between him and Clank. Yet Ratchet could see that Nathaniel knew more. He was deliberate in his word choices, trying not to be provocative but at the same time, lightly scratching the surface of something Ratchet believed to be best kept behind closed doors.

Clank, however, was not affected the same way that his friend was and, curious as to how Nathaniel knew such information, broke the slience with his question,"How do you know this?" Nathaniel looked over at Clank and chuckled. "That's a story, actually. A rather long one, but I'll give you the short version: a friend of mine is rather interested in the Lombax race and wishes to see them back on Fastoon."

"That's the short version?" Ratchet questioned incredulously.

"Believe me when I say the long version is much, much longer." Nathaniel countered coolly.

"Question?" Clank interjected, raising his hand.

"Sure, what's up?"

"How do the both of you plan on returning the Lombaxes from the other dimension without a Dimensionator?"

Instantly, Nathaniel grew tense. The other two caught on. Both exchanged sideways glances as they suspected what the answer would be, what would be the only answer. The answer they would have to decline. As quickly as Nathan tensed, he relaxed and just shook his slowly, tutting.

"Quite the question, Clank, putting me on the spot like that. You, no, both of you were afraid that I would say the Great Clock, and believe me, I do not want to destroy existence anytime soon. Or ever for that matter."

"Then what do you propose we use to alter time?"

Nathaniel pulled out a notepad from shirt pockets and tossed it over to Ratchet. After catching it Ratchet pulled open the flap and read the words written on the first page:

" _To keep, not alter_ " The Great Clock- Orvus

" _To alter, not keep_ " Travel The Days- Unnamed Agent Of Time

"Agent Of Time?" Now it was Clank's turn to be in total disbelief.

"Yes, the Agent Of Time." Nathaniel acceded, who now started to pace back and forth, using his hands to illustrate his next statement.

"From what we could gather, the Fongoids are responsible for the Near Temporal Disaster eons ago, nearly destroying everything as we knew it. In response, your father, Clank, as you already know, designed The Great Clock, which fixed the problem. Shortly afterwards, Orvus confronted who I presume to be this 'Agent Of Time' and from this, an artifact called Travel The Days was made."

"The same 'Travel The Days' from your writing?"

"Precisely. And if you look at the beginning, it states 'alter time, not keep'. It's job is to be a time machine. We could do anything we wanted!"

"How does it work?" Ratchet asked, never lifting his eyes from the paper, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I have no idea. IRIS didn't even have a picture of the artifact to show me. All it knew was that it existed and that it could alter time. If we do this, we'll be walking on unfamiliar ground."

"How come I have never heard of such a device?" Clank inquired. "It seems to me that would have been useful to know as Caretaker."

Nathaniel stopped walking and turned sharply on his feet toward the Zoni, and shrugged.

"Clank, to be honest, I have no clue and there's no easy way to answer that. Believe me when I say that I know what transpired at the Clock years ago. And yes, knowledge of that artifact would have avoided a lot of pain and suffering on the parts of… some people." Nathaniel answered. Glancing toward Ratchet, he could see the lombax gazing at Azimuth's statue.

"Like I said, he was a great Lombax. He only wanted to correct his greatest mistake."

"What if I refuse?"

"Come again?"

"I once told Clank that, 'there was more for me here than over there'."

"You once told Alister that, 'if this is my only chance to save my family, I have to take it'. Look, I'll never understand what you've been through, but if you choose to decline, I will accept that as your decision and leave. But, if you're willing to listen, I'd like for you to ask Clank what he thinks of this."

Once finished, Nathan walked around them, leaving the room via elevator. Together, both intergalactic heroes watched as the stranger left their field of vision before Ratchet bent his head and voiced his one thought. "So pal, what do you think? Did I make the right choice?" The silence that followed was deafening. Clank looked over at their statue then back to his friend. Then, it hit him, the final push Ratchet would need. After all, he left the Clock solely for Ratchet's sake.

"Have I ever told you why I left the Clock, Ratchet?"

"No pal, you didn't. Although I've tried asking once or twice."

"I left because I had discovered my family, my home, and what I had thought to be my destiny." Ratchet stared at his friend, puzzled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I know who I am, where I came from—"

"—I also know who I am, where I come from—" Ratchet cut in, only to finish his statement weakly. In truth, just like Nathaniel on his knowledge of Travel The Days, so did Ratchet know the Lombaxes—very little. And most of it was from the reminiscing of the dead general, who always made a point to talk about his father. Both were little fragments, compared to what could be known. Now, Clank decided this would be a good time to finish what he had started.

"I told the recording of my father that I could not leave you. Not until you found your own, and hoped that wherever my father was, that he understood." Both again stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity, until something broke it, the sound of tears. Ratchet's tears. The small Zoni robot walked up to his pal and tried to help comfort him in any way he could. The lombax bent down and embraced the his long-time companion.

"Thanks Clank, for everything you've done."

"You are welcome, Ratchet." Letting go, Ratchet stood and looked back and forth between the statues. A new found vigor took the young Lombax hero as he stood there remembering what brought him here, what Nathaniel said just minutes before:

" _If this is my only chance to save my family, I have to take it_." How Nathan had known what he told Azimuth exactly, Ratchet did not know, though he did have his suspicions. Starting toward the elevator, Ratchet glanced behind him and saw Clank standing there, giving him a quizzical look. He gestured for his pal to follow him and continued toward his destination. Starting toward Ratchet, Clank called out, "Where are we going?"

Ratchet didn't stop walking, but only answered with this: "To find Nathaniel, we're bringing home the Lombaxes."

* * *

 **AN: (1-1-2017) Edited.**


	3. Alliance!

"Because his psychic powers are quite straightforward, he has an inability to affect machines internally. Once Zenith's figured that out, their rivalry—as long-lasting as it has been—was born," Terin finished.

"Okay. But if he really wanted to, couldn't he just throw Zenith across the city without much effort," someone countered.

"He could, but that's only entertaining when done to villains and/or high and mighty people."

Approaching footfalls and twitching ears caught the lombax's attention and Terin looked up to see his friend walking toward them, head bent over and shoulders slumped in defeat. Running over to his friend, Terin clasped Nathaniel's shoulder and voiced his friend's source of sorrow.

"Didn't accept, huh?"

"Yeah. You know, I thought I had it all covered. That the prospect of actually traveling through time would be more than enough, but... I don't know." Sighing heavily, Nathaniel shook out of his friend's grip and sulkenly traveled back to the landing pad. Grabbing a seat on a nearby bench, Nathan buried his head into his hands.

"So, you must be Nathaniel," a feminine voice spoke. Alert, Nathaniel looked around and saw nothing out of the blue.

"Over here." the voice said, obviously annoyed at Nathan's obliviousness. Finding the source, Nathaniel's face cherried with embarrassment and facepalmed.

"Ratchet's ship. I should've known."

"The name is Aphelion. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah," Nathan replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Nice to meet you, too."

"I've heard that you and Terin were asking for assistance in returning the Lombaxes home?"

"Well, we were, but Ratchet didn't accept."

"Do you know why?" Terin inquired.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but Ratchet never really gave me a straight answer. This was all just a big waste of time, we should just go on without them." Looking back toward the museum, Nathan shrugged his shoulders and sighed, "They'll thank us on the other side... hopefully."

Terin stared at his friend with concern. On the way here, Nathan just couldn't stop talking about how cool it would be to go on an adventure with the two renowned heroes. For Terin, Nathaniel was almost like a little brother, one he personally never had. To see him like this... well, it must of been a real letdown. Truth be told, the lombax admired Ratchet. The younger lombax's triumphs and sacrifices, his feats and virtues, especially during the Dimensionator and Great Clock tragedies. It was admirable when one truly understood what had to be done, especially, when the temptations were as strong as they were.

More footsteps pulled Terin from his thoughts. Following the source, the gray-furred lombax one-eightied, only to come face to face with the last two people he'd thought to ever see: Ratchet and Clank themselves. A sudden stillness came over the area, as if everything froze in place. To say that Ratchet was surprised to see another lombax in this dimension, especially without an advance warning (like that time with the Great Clock) could very well be the understatement of the universe. Even Terin felt the same way, and he'd been living with the lombaxes all his life. In the other's presence, one could feel a sense of brotherhood, a sense of discovery, of finding the missing link.

"Hello Ratchet," greeted the older lombax, getting down on one knee to properly introduce himself. "My name is Terin Arc, Major of the Lombax Praetorian Guard, co-founder of Ears & Tails and chosen soldier of Project: Focal Point." Standing back up, Terin slightly rotated his head and called out to Nathan, "Hey, the duo is here."

"Yeah right." Nathaniel replied dejectedly, head resting on his hands.

"It would seem to me that we have let you down," Clank began. "We apologize." Nathaniel froze upon hearing Clank's voice. Turning around, Nathan saw the galactic duo standing there, Ratchet with an apologetic look and Clank with his customary expression. Before anyone could say anything else, Nathaniel was over at the museum stairs in the blink of an eye with the other lombaxes and Zoni.

"Nah, its okay little buddy. Wait... do you mind if I call you 'little buddy'?" Nathaniel asked nervously, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand.

"It is okay Nathaniel." Clank stated warmly, smiling at their new companion. Turning his gaze back to Ratchet, Nathan looked at the Lombax, hoping that their appearance meant one thing and one thing only. As if understanding what was hoped for; Ratchet nodded his head. Pumping his fist in excitement, Nathaniel stuck it up to Terin who returned the brofist and said aloud:

"Well, you seem to have made **one** of us very happy indeed."

"Looks like it. Well, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Clank. You should thank him." Ratchet answered. Making eye contact with the Zoni bot, Terin gave a thumbs-up. "Good work, Clank." Looking back toward Ratchet, Terin decided to ask Ratchet again if he knew what they were getting themselves into; Ratchet answered positively.

"You know," Terin started," we could just bring home the Lombaxes but still allow you to be raised on Veldin. Thus ensuring to a certain degree, that the same Ratchet we all know today still exists, along with Clank, whom, if I know the story, was found by you on Veldin."

"Don't even get me started." Ratchet said, shooting a sidelong glance at his pal, recalling their first meeting and the subsequent adventure that followed. Clank too, seemed to be recalling the same adventure, the one that started it all.

"Hey!" Nathaniel called from across the way, standing by Aphelion and Zenith. "Are we going or not?!"

"We're coming,"Terin turned around and started toward Zenith; Ratchet and Clank following closely behind. At the landing pad is where Ratchet noticed Zenith who stopped to look over the new lombax ship. Sharing the same body design as his own ship, Zenith was painted in a thick black coat. Over this coat were white lines painted along the vertical of the nose and wings. On the wings were two insignias which Ratchet could not begin to decipher. Noticing Ratchet's keen inspection, Terin spoke aloud, drawing the lombax's attention.

"A thing of beauty, isn't he?"

"It's definitely an impressive ship." Ratchet readily admitted, putting a gloved hand over the chrome finish. "Do this yourself?"

"Uh-huh, just like yours, I presume?"

"Yep, does it have a name?"

"It's Zenith. A male." Ratchet looked up at Terin, eyebrows raised in question.

"Upon completion of a ship you have the option to choose between a male and female voice modulator. Seeing as how I have two sisters back home, you could imagine why I would choose a male computer system over a female one."

"Does everyone build their own ship?"

"Not necessarily. Although it is—in a way—a sort of universally accepted idea that a Lombax child must build their first ship capable of interplanetary travel by the time they finish their basic education course."

"How long does that take that?"

"Anywhere from twelve to fourteen years. The norm to start is anywhere from eight to ten."

"Well, looks like I would have failed then." Ratchet said, making both the Lombaxes double over in laughter. "Hey," Terin started when they both finished, "Don't take this the wrong way, but that would've been embarrassing."

"Hey, are we going or what?" Nathaniel cut in, irritated at the lombaxes for getting sidetracked.

"Yes. They're not going to bring themselves home." Terin replied sharply. Patting Zenith's windshield, the lombax ship climbed in, allowing Nathaniel and Terin to climb in. The same went for Aphelion and Ratchet and Clank.

From inside Aphelion, Ratchet activated her nav-unit, allowing the ship to read Zenith's serial number and establish easy communications.

"Hey," Ratchet's voice came over Zenith's nav-unit. "If we're going to go find this Travel The Days artifact, Clank and I will need to get prepared. I'm sending you coordinates to the Apogee Space Station. If you don't have anything better to do, you can either follow us or finish whatever preparations you need to make. We'll meet you there."

"Understood," Terin acknowledged. "We have some things to do, so we'll see you later."

"Got it, Ratchet out." The feed was broken and both lombax ship ignited their engines, slowly hovering into the air and pulled out Meridian City—each leaving in opposite directions.

 _ **R &C**_

Meanwhile, from the inside of a fighter, another mystery figure watched as the prospective time-travelers flew away through the atmosphere. Looking over at the ship's on-board computer, the figure pushed a few buttons activating a beacon. The screen showed two dots resembling Lombax faces. Underneath they read: "Ratchet" & "Terin". Knowing that each Lombax had a strangely powered companion, he decided his best chances were to get rid of Ratchet and Clank before the other two met up with them.

"Apogee Space Station," he muttered, words cracking like changing radio stations. He turned a knob on the dash before moving to flick two nearby switches. The cloaking device shut off and the ship's engines turned over. Revving the engine, the stranger tapped a button the screen and someone from the other end spoke, deep, ringing, commanding. "Did you find them?" The man on the other end demanded of this caller.

"I did." The stranger answered.

"Good. It says here your calling from planet Igliak, we have forces near your position. I'll contact them and tell them to follow you."

"Tell them to go ahead and attack the Apogee Space Station. It's where those two are headed."

"Who are "those two" you speak of?"

"Ratchet and Clank." With that, the ship took off, following the intergalactic heroes to the Apogee Space Station. His intent was blood. And blood he was going to collect.

* * *

 **AN: (1-2-2017) Edited.**


	4. Followed

The flight to the space station had been uneventful as Ratchet pulled Aphelion up to the station's hangar. Inputing the access codes, the bay doors opened up and he gently eased Aphelion inside. The doors sealed shut behind them. Opening Aphelion's hatch, the galactic duo climbed out of the cockpit and walked through a door, leading into an interior hall. Coming to a cross section, dividing the hallway in a 'T', Ratchet turned and took off to the right, prompting Clank to call after him who now had to pick up his pace.

"I am curious as to why you chose this location to meet up with Nathaniel and Terin?"

If Ratchet had heard his pal, he made no show of it. Instead, the lombax continued on his way, toward a destination Clank could not begin to guess. It took some time to get there, but when Ratchet and Clank arrived at a set the four-foot thick, raritanium, double blast doors did the little robot understand what his friend had come here for. Beyond here lie the "Tools Of Destruction." Every weapon, gadget, and device the heroes had ever obtained on their adventures were kept here at the station for storage. Grummelnet; Megacorp; Gadgetron; Dreadzone; they had it all.

"If we're going to go back in time and stop Tachyon," Ratchet began, placing his hand on a scanner placed next to the doors, "We'll need the best weapons for the job." The scanner lit up a bright green color and the doors retracted. From inside, overhead lights turned on, bathing the room in bright white light. Crossing the threshold, Ratchet entered the room, empty except for a lone pillar where a bronze statue of the Bomb Glove sat. Turning the weapon to the left, the walls surrounding them flipped over, revealing panel after panel of the "Tools".

Scanning the wall, Ratchet picked out a few small hand and/or arm/wrist based weapons, most notably: the Shredder Claws, a wrist-mounted, laser-blade splitting device used for close quarter combat, and put them in his quick select glove. The blade was a sky-blue color and was a personal favorite of Ratchet during his quest to first stop Tachyon so many years ago. Another weapon chosen to accompany the four was the Constructo Pistol: Ratchet's first choice over all other pistols he had acquired in his long line of work. Checking it over, the Lombax saw that it was set to what he believed was the best configuration: rapid trigger; beam chamber; and finally; the ricochet upgrade.

Looking over at his partner, Ratchet saw that Clank's side of the wall was completely empty.

"Do you really need everything pal?" The lombax asked, watching Clank as he headed out of the room. "You said that we needed the 'best weapons for the job'," Clank replied, before giving his signature laugh. A smirk made its way on Ratchet's face as he thought of good comeback to Clank's verbal affront.

"You really want to go there. Because, if you do, just say the word." Putting the pistol into his glove, Ratchet moved toward the 'heavy duty' section. It was called so because each and every weapon here packed a wicked, often near-fatal kick, capable of striking fear into the hearts of most foes the two would ever face.

"Help me out Clank, will ya?" Ratchet asked.

"Are you having trouble picking out a weapon?" Clank inquired, returning into the room. He took his place next to Ratchet and scanned the long rows of weaponry. Over their long careers, the two have managed to maximize every weapon they acquired, upgrading them to their final forms and—if possible—modded them out the wazoo. And in this area of the armory, every weapon could serve as the final word in any situation. But Clank was looking for the fine balance between destruction and utility.

"I am already bringing the Zoni Blaster, so the Quantum Repulsor would not be necessary," Clank suggested, "however, the Judicator has always served as an excellent backbone to your arsenal."

"That's true."

Suddenly, static, followed by a female robotic voice filled the air. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it seems that we have unidentified fighters closing in on our location."

"Have you tried reaching out to them, Aphelion?" Ratchet asked, turning to Clank and mouthed "go". Clank nodded and ran away, headed for the space station's control room.

"I have tried, but they are maintaining radio silence," Aphelion stated. "I thought it would be best to warn you and Clank."

"Alright then. Thanks Aphelion, I'm on my way."

Ratchet turned off his nav-unit and grabbed the Judicator off the wall and quickly stuffed it into his weapon glove. The lombax then walked to another weapon from among the 'heavy duty' weapons: the Alpha Cannon. Invented and constructed by the Lombaxes before Ratchet's time, fully upgraded it was capable of rendering a Leviathan dead in just two blasts, vanquishing most other enemies the same way in just as many or less shots. Heck, even the sight of the thing was enough to make more than a fair share of enemies run for the hills. However, further tinkering with the device greatly increased it damage output while lowering it's charge-up rate, despite the Grummelnet upgrades he had received for it.

Before he grabbed the giant of a weapon from off the shelf, Ratchet quickly pulled out the Shredder Claws and attached them. He jerked his arms, activating the claws which flared to life, curving yellow energy trailed off the sky-blue weapon. He looked over his glove and activated its interface—telling him which weapons he carried on him. As of now, Ratchet had in his possession the three Constructo weapons, the Judicator, the Blizzard Mine Glove, Plasma Slayer, and the Shredder Claws (which he was now wearing.) That left two slots out of eight open for the lombax to use. He grabbed the Alpha Cannon and fit it inside the glove. (Shrinkage technology... who knew?)

With his selected weapons, Ratchet turned and ran out of the armory, heading straight for the hangar where Aphelion sat, ready to go at the lombax's first command. A heavy and dull-laden boom echoed throughout the station. Darkness flooded the hallway. Seconds passed before the lights flickered back on, dimmer this time. Ratchet activated his nav-unit and contacted Clank.

"Hey pal, what's the situation?"

"Ratchet, whatever they are hitting us with is bypassing the shields. Lights, gravity, life-support, all of it will go some time soon. You have to hurry."

"Okay then. Where are they now?"

"In orbit around the station. I am not sure as to what they want or what there plan is?"

"Understood. Just keep me posted, Ratchet out."

As Ratchet burst into the hangar, he told Aphelion to contact Zenith and tell him to get a hold of Nathaniel and Terin.

"Affirmative," Aphelion replied as she open her canopy for the lombax. Ratchet hopped in and sat down in the driver seat, gripping the steering wheel as he one-eighted the ship and jet out of the hangar. As both lombax and ship blew into the asteroid field surrounding the base, the fighters broke off and pursued the two.

"Clank, they're on my tail. How many are there?"

"Thirty," Clank answered, chuckling "This should not present a problem." Ratchet couldn't help but smile at his pal's confidence in his piloting abilities. After all, he did have 'mad skills'. Glancing over at Aphelion's radar, Ratchet could see that there were missile projectiles heading his way. Flicking a few switches, Ratchet activated the "Quantum Deflector": an upgrade to Aphelion the Zoni had given her when Ratchet had rescued twenty-one of them while traversing the Breegus System. The missiles made contact with the shield and exploded.

"Alright Aphelion, it's time to lose them," Ratchet said while pressing a bright red button, activating the "Xulian Overthruster": another gift of the Zoni when he had rescued thirty-five of them. This was the ultimate in engine speed. (Seeing as how the Zoni could travel through time, they probably just brought this from the future or something) With the sudden burst in speed, Aphelion easily left their opponents eating their dust. Ratchet killed the thruster and braked, giving the wheel a hard right, drifting Aphelion completely around before Ratchet activated the thrusters again, re-accelerating back toward the fighters.

"Ratchet, what are you doing, you're going to ram them at this pace. It will not end well for either you or Aphelion," Clank said worryingly, tracking Ratchet and the fighters from inside the control room.

"Don't worry, Clank. I believe I know what Ratchet is planning." Clank believed Aphelion but a lone Ratchet inside an super souped-up lombax ship wasn't what Clank would call a good idea. As Ratchet neared, he saw the other fighters closing in. In just a matter of seconds there would be impact, something the young lombax hoped for.

"I cannot look," Clank stated, holding his hands to his eyes. The seconds rolled by, only, Clank did not hear static. In its place, the Zoni heard the sounds of a whooping Lombax from over the com-link.

"Oh yeah, I've got mad skills! Mad skills!"

"Ratchet," Clank said sternly.

"Oh come on, lighten up Clank. Now how many are left?" Clank checked the screens in front of him: "You have twenty-seven fighters left Ratchet. Do be careful."

"Alright then, thanks pal."

Weaving his way in and out of the asteroid field proved to be a difficult task, especially when one was outnumbered more than twenty to one. Narrowly avoiding a good-sized asteroid proved to be disatourous for more than a few of the enemy ship and five were lost to that tactic alone. However, the other fighters must have been learning their surroundings because they avoided the asteroid as well as Ratchet was.

"Well, that won't work. Time to go to plan B." Slowing down Aphelion, Ratchet again one-eighted and fired 'Swarm Rockets'. Without a target, rockets flew straight ahead and bombarded all they came into contact with.

"That's odd," Ratchet thought, keeping his eyes peeled as he scanned his surroundings.

"Clank, Aphelion scan the area, I don't see them anymore." The robots' replies were ditto, no fighters in the approximate area.

"That's impossible. You two sure they didn't just cloak themselves or something."

"I am sure Ratchet. They have simply vanished, although I do not understand," Clank said. "However, there seems to be an enemy cruiser on the approach. I suggest you take cover."

'Copy that Clank, I see it." To Ratchet, the ship didn't seem to intimidating, but he wouldn't want Aphelion alone to engage Suddenly a massive wave of energy came upon Aphelion, shaking the ship.

"Clank, I'm been hit. What's happening?" Ratchet demanded.

"You are caught in a tractor beam Ratchet. Try to see if you can get out of it." Ratchet floored the accelerator, but nothing happened.

"Aphelion," Ratchet called out, his voice quickly rising to match his panic. Silence. "Aphelion, do you read me?!" At this point Ratchet was yelling. Frantically, the lombax started searching Aphelion's console for any other methods of excape. Realizing that there were no other options remaining, Ratchet pressed his nav-unit:

"Clank, you still here?"

Static.

Without Clank, a gnawing uneasiness gripped the lombax as the cruiser pulled a now-deactivated Aphelion closer to them. Adjusting himself in his seat, Ratchet reached the backseat for his Omniwrench which he pulled out and placed next to him in shotgun. Depending on how well the enemy inside was organized Ratchet could be at a distinct disadvantage. He took some deep breaths, trying to quell his over-acting nerves.

" _Well, I'm not taking any chances,_ " Ratchet thought as he activated his holo-armor, triggering the suit's final upgrade: Hyperflux. A full body red, gray, and black armor glimmered to life around him. Now, any damage Ratchet takes would only half-harm him. It wasn't Carbonox or Infernox strength, but being that the basic armor was lightweight, allowing for more agile movement, and the activated armor made out of light, allowing exactly fifty percent of damage mitigated earned for this armor the privilege of being the lombax's go-to whenever he needed some protection.

Ratchet sifted through his quick select glove and grabbed Constructo Pistol, removing the safety and placed it in his left hand. He squeezed his hand around the hand grip and placed a finger on the trigger. "Whoever you think you are," Ratchet snarled, "you just made the biggest mistake of your life." When the lombax looked up, Ratchet saw that he was alone. No troopers, pilots, engineers even. Nothing.

" _This is obviously a trap,_ " Ratchet thought as he had to manually pull up Aphelion's hatch to climb out. Armed with his pistol and wrench, Ratchet exited Aphelion and made contact with the floor. Sleek, black, and unusually reflective, Ratchet could see the bright red lines of his armor mirrored in the polish and saw that the walls shared the floors same smooth, shiny, metallic surface—only in the color of slate.

"Clank, can you hear me?" Ratchet whispered, hoping not to draw attention to himself.

"No, I'm afraid he can't hear you." Looking up, Ratchet saw a tall figure above him, standing on a thin walk. Fully armored, Ratchet recognized the type immediately: Carbonox. Ratchet cursed his luck, whoever he was, he came prepared. Beside the armor, nothing about his mystery visitor seemed odd to the lombax. In the stranger's left hand was a handle (most likely to a whip weapon Ratchet suspected). His right hand held... Clank! Ratchet's eyes widened at the discovery.

"Now you notice," the stranger said, tossing Clank toward the lombax, who landed next to the lombax with a loud 'clang'. Ratchet tossed aside his pistol and ran over to his friend and checked him over, looking for damage.

"What did you do to him?" Ratchet demanded, switching to darker tones to match his growing antagonism to this newcomer.

"Simply knocked him out. Don't worry, he's fine." The visitor added as Ratchet glared at him, noticing the tightened grip upon the lombax's wrench. "I want him awake so he can watch as I end your pathetic life," the visitor finished.

" _Fine, if he wants Clank awake,_ " Ratchet thought, gently shaking his friend, " _he'll have to deal with both of us._ " Ratchet said Clank's name a few times, watching as the robot started to wake up.

"Ratchet," Clank mumbled, green optics blinking as the robot became aware of his surroundings. "Where are we?"

"Inside the attacker's cruiser; ready for another hoorah?"

"Ready as I will ever be."

Throwing the small robot into the air, Clank folded himself into a backpack and came down on Ratchet's harness, fastening himself to it.

"Looking to make this sporting then, good," their assailant said, flicking a switch on his handle revealing a green colored energy whip. The whip contorted and snaked it's way around while raw energy pulsated from it, thrumming to each little movement. The assailant then jumped off the ledge and landed with a massive "crash", leaving a small crater-shaped hole in the floor where he had landed.

"Whoa," Ratchet thought, a little surprised at the stranger's mass. Standing up, the figure proceeded to move toward the duo.

"I've waited quite some while for this moment, I feel a tad rueful that it's here. But of course, 'all good things, must come to an end'."

The assailant flicked his wrist, swinging the whip toward Ratchet and Clank.

* * *

 **AN: (1-6-2017) Edited.**


	5. The First Of Many

"Yes. Ratchet and Clank have agreed to help us get Travel The Days and use it to bring home the Lombaxes," Nathaniel said aloud to the holograms in the room.

"I guess this is goodbye then," one of the holograms returned.

"Ahh, don't worry. If all goes well you'll be seeing me in fifteen years anyway. The thing is... can you wait that long?" A chorus of annoyed groans rose up in response to Nathaniel's fun, making him, Terin and the other holograms laugh at those who showed their disgruntlement.

"I'm going to take those fifteen years Nathan, I'm going to somehow remember you, and I will live life to the fullest before you and your dog come and ruin it."

"Lighten up bro, Nate is totally chill. The best addition to the Federation in its history. We needed more people like him," Another voice spoke, earning the disdainful eye-roll of its brother.

"Hey Aven, what about me?" Terin cut in, feigning offense.

"Again, totally awesome, what else could I say," Aven replied, shrugging. "I mean, I'm still better than both of you, but you get the idea."

" _I say we go back in time and give him a wedgie,_ " Nathaniel transmitted to Terin.

" _Agreed._ "

"What are you guys thinking? It had better not be about me," Aven started. At that moment, Zenith's voice broadcasted through the room via the lombax's wrist-com.

"Terin, I just got a message from Aphelion. She says that Ratchet and Clank are under attack." Everybody's faces grew concerned and exchanging glances revealed the sense of urgency.

"What's wrong?" A black clad hologram demanded.

"I don't know Torskov," Terin said, turning to his friend. "Nathan, this happening now is too much of a coincidence. I think we were followed."

"Impossible!"

"Doesn't matter, it happened. Now come on, I've got a bad feeling about this." With that, Terin dashed off to Zenith, saying something about "get ready to fly". Facing his old friends, Nathaniel gave a small wave and followed Terin, calling behind him, "See you guys in fifteen!"

"Can't wait." Whoever said that, Nathaniel didn't know, for he was already long gone. The holograms blinked away as they severed communications.

 _ **R &C**_

"Way to go pal." Ratchet said, offering a hand to Clank when the robot's antennae zapper shocked their assailant, who by now was just plain mad. Shortly after the fight began, Ratchet and Clank had to separate in order to combat their foe. One on one this newcomer just had an edge in skill and speed that, back to back, the duo could not overcome. Also, Ratchet had advised Clank to save the Zoni Blaster until they needed it, seeing as how their foe always kept a distance and was extremely agile.

"You're going to pay for that," he seethed, checking his armor for damage. Finding none, the assailant raised his right arm at the lombax and deployed a mini machine turret on his arm, instantly firing bullets at Ratchet, who began running to avoid getting pumped full of metal. Jumping forward, Ratchet swung and threw his wrench at his foe, using the 'kinetic tether' to send the head of the weapon flying toward the assailant. He turned and watched as the head passed by before turning back to the lombax, continuing to spray the hangar with ammunition.

From behind the assailant, a high-pitched yell sounded off, only for the stranger to turn around and receive a kick to the face from the diminutive warbot. The assailant fell backwards from the blow but not before swinging the whip wildly, hoping to nail a blow on the Zoni, but failed in his attempt as the energy flux flew over Clank's antennae. Upon landing, Clank reached inside his chest compartment and pulled out a small, red-ended trapezoid object with a handle protruding from the center. To Clank, this weapons was known as the Hardlight fist: a weapon which constructed hardlight objects that harmed his enemies. Gripping the weapon, Clank ran to the recovering assailant and threw the weapon at him. The Fist constructed a giant anvil in the space between them, impacting the stranger and sending him through the air crashing into the wall.

"Good work pal!" Ratchet said as he ran over to Clank, taking stance right next to the robot.

"I am afraid it will take more than that to stop him," Clank returned, watching the assailant fall to the floor.

"Come on, we can't let him get back up!" The lombax commanded as he took off running. Clank followed behind best he could. Ratchet leaped into the air, drawing his wrench above him, preparing to deliver an overhead slam against his foe. As the lombax came down, the assailant rolled to the side and the lombax's attack instead came into collision against the floor. Clank came in after Ratchet, again using the Hardlight Fist the same way. The assailant narrowly avoided the attack by flipping backwards from his half-down, half-up state, landing precariously the lombax and Zoni recovered and attacked their foe again.

He again drew his whip and lashed out at the two galactic heroes. This divided the heroes as they moved around the attack. With that moment, the stranger pulled something out from behind him: a small, spherical bomb the size of his palm. Raising his hand, the assailant yelled at the heroes.

"Try this!"

Alarmed, Ratchet and Clank rolled out of the way as the stranger threw down the bomb in front of him. The ensuing explosion shrouded the hangar in a thick, engulfing darkness.

"Ratchet!"

"Clank!"

The duo called out each others name, who, realizing that the bomb wasn't explosive, stood back up and found each other through the blanket of blackness. (Due primarily to the bright light given off by Clank's green optics)

"Where'd he go?" Ratchet asked, looking around him, ready to act at the first instant.

"Hmm, my scanners are picking up something," Clank said, appearing not so in tune to his surroundings.

"What exactly?" The lombax inquired, pulling out the Blizzard Mine Glove from his quick select glove and placing his left hand inside. A mine formed in the palm of Ratchet's hand and he closed his hand around it, comfortably holding the frosty explosive as he stood guard over his friend.

"Our assailant seems to be moving further inside the cruiser," Clank declared, continuing to concentrate on his scans. "And it appears that we are alone with him."

"Let's go get him then," Ratchet said, craning his head around, looking for a way out in all of the pitch. Clank looked around too, soon finding a large door to his right, and—in his opinion—sealed tight. Together, the two of them walked over to the door. Ratchet pounded a fist on the door; it did nothing. He swung his wrench at the door; it also did nothing.

"So why'd he run?" Ratchet asked.

"I believe that this hangar was too big for the three of us. At any rate, the fight would have lasted until someone tired or reinforcements arrived."

"That reminds me... where are they?"

"I believe that they are coming as fast as they can. For now, let us focus on finding our assailant."

"Good idea, but first we're going to need heavier firepower."

"The Alpha Cannon?" The Zoni inquired, watching Ratchet drop his wrench and take off his mine glove, leaving both weapons on the floor as the lombax took out the Alpha Cannon.

"If possible Ratchet," Clank advised, seeing the look on the lombax's face. The one Ratchet gets whenever he holds a powerhouse of a weapon. "We should only use that gun as a last resort. It is incredibly powerful and we do not wish to kill him."

"Clank, I got this." Ratchet asserted, laughing at his friend's statement. Besides, Ratchet knew what he was capable of. Getting down on his left knee, Ratchet looked over the cannon's power setting. Seeing the knob on normal, he pulled the trigger and the weapon emitted a distant whirring noise as it began priming. Boosting the cannon on his shoulder, Ratchet watched as a bright light emanated from the tip of the cannon as it gathered power for the next fire. The whirring crescendoed as the light grew brighter. When the weapon finished priming, it started vibrating, signaling the lombax that it was done.

Giving himself a characteristic smirk, Ratchet let go of the trigger, unleashing a beam of destruction that tore through the door as if it were a finger through wet paper. The darkness in the hangar instantly filtered to the halls, growing several shades lighter while rest of the ship grew several shades darker, balancing everything out in a bland, lifeless gray. Standing up, Ratchet placed the Alpha Cannon back in quick select and retrieved his weapons before he offered a hand to Clank, silently asking him if he would like a ride on the lombax's harness. A nod and a brief toss later, Clank attached himself to Ratchet as a backpack and was ready to roll.

"Alright Clank, keep your eyes peeled." Ratchet commanded before darting down the corridor. Left, right, down one corridor, and up another. Together, the duo were getting a bit antsy as Ratchet ran throughout the ship.

"Clank," Ratchet asked, stopping to take a breather. "What do your scanners say?"

"He should be here, Ratchet," Clank said, dismounting the lombax's harness. As he looked around, the sound of far-off movement caught the attention of the lombax.

"Did you hear that?" Ratchet asked his friend. His ears rose attentively, his eyes flited about, scanning the haze for their opponent. Clank reached in his chest compartment for another weapon, the one shaped like the fin of a fish and constructed by his own people: the Zoni Blaster. It discharged a blue orb which upon contact, expands and envelops a small area in a time bubble, greatly slowing down everything caught inside its radius. Out of his peripheral, Ratchet noticed and weapon and voiced his approval.

"Should we split up?" Ratchet asked, tightening and loosening his grip on his wrench, trying to relieve the tension within him.

"I believe—"

"—that will not be necessary," someone called from the mist, who now walked into their line of sight. Ratchet and Clank recognized the figure to be the assailant. While still wearing full carbonox armor, he had taken the distraction to truly outfit himself for the occasion. On his waist sat a belt where several weapons stood arrayed. Although the weapon themselves were unknown to the galactic duo, they could surmise what each one did in approximation. Strapped to the assailant's chest was a sash lined up with gadgets. Again, these were also unknown to our heroes. But the most distinct feature was the large gauntlet-type device the assailant wore over his right hand. Holding it up, the machine crackled to life, emitting a sharp, piercing squeal that started to draw the darkness into it.

"Better?" The stranger inquired when the last of the darkness had been absorbed.

"Well, I was used to the dark," Ratchet quipped, blinking, shielding his eyes from the change in illumination.

"That was a nice round one," the assailant said, rolling his shoulders. "However, I think that we should close this down now."

"I couldn't agree more," Ratchet countered, brandishing his wrench, striking a stance. Clank followed suit, holding the Zoni Blaster in both hands, pointing it at his opponent. The assailant reached for his belt and took off the whip weapon from their previous encounter. Activating it, he dashed toward Ratchet and Clank who he saw nod to each other before dispersing. The assailant turned and lashed out at the lombax who avoided the attack, running against the wall as Ratchet jumped off and landed some paces behind. The lombax immediately turned around and hurled a blizzard mine at the assailant. Aiming his gauntlet at the mine, the stranger unleashed an energy ball which flew directly for the mine, exploding it on contact, forming a icy blue-black barricade, separating lombax and assailant. A whirring and a slice drew the stranger's attention as Clank flung several more Whirlwind Throwties at the carbonox-clad assailant. Annoyed at robot's pesky weapon, the assailant tried to whip Clank but realized as soon as he attempted it, a black tie stuck out of it, short-circuiting the whip. Scowling first at his weapon then moving to face Clank, the assailant pulled out a blaster from his belt and aimed at the Zoni. He fired quickly and accurately. However, Clank returned fire with the Zoni Blaster, rending each shot ineffective as the robot moved hastily through the spheres of altered time, placing the Throwties inside him, switching them for another weapon.

Behind the assailant, the sound of explosions indicated that the lombax would soon break through the barrier. He needed to work quickly, these two were becoming too much for him. Clank leaped into the air as the time bubbles ceased to be, wielding the Wrist Mortar: a bomb launcher attached to the robot's wrist. Clank threw one at the assailant who ducked out of the way, detonating upon touching the barrier. At the same time, an explosion from the lombax's side went off which shattered the ice wall. Black smoke burst forth, hanging thick in the air as all three figures tried to find their way through.

Steps, followed by the whoosh of a melee, then the sound of flying rockets, ending lastly with a concussive boom took place within the mere span of seconds as the 'boom' drove off the haze which hung over the area. Ratchet, who'd been caught within radius of the 'boom', rolled over and tried to pick himself up. Patting himself over and finding himself to be mostly okay, the lombax turned around and faced the hall before him. The assailant too seemed to have been caught in the blast and was sent sprawling across the place just like him. However, another sight was what shocked the lombax—that of a small robot, antennae dark and black mess drenched all over him.

"CLANK!" Ratchet screamed, starting toward his pal, picking up the Judicator as he passed by it. He turned and launched two more rockets at the assailant who rolled out of the way. The assailant picked himself up and aimed his gauntlet at Ratchet. The lombax responded by throwing his wrench at the assailant. He blasted the wrench and then took another shot, aimed straight for where Ratchet kneeled over his friend. A lobbed mine countered the attack, again forming a barrier between them. The lombax grabbed hold of his friend and ran away from the wall of black ice, leaving his rocket launcher behind.

"Stay here pal; I'll finish this," said Ratchet as he layed Clank down behind a corner. Ratchet took off his Blizzard Mine Glove and reached into the his quick select for the final word. Lifting the hefty weapon from its spot in selection, Ratchet got down on one knee as before. Placing the Alpha Cannon on his shoulder, Ratchet turned the knob from 'normal' to 'danger'. Sometime after arriving in Polaris and acquiring this weapon from his battles against Tachyon, Ratchet had been known to tinker with this weapon, being that it was designed by his kind. From there, Ratchet had pushed the Cannon to a power far beyond what it's creators purposed for it—and the fact that people thought this weapon to be the long-lost Lombax Secret, the weapon capable of destroying an entire planet and with it, an entire civilization, speaks volumes for this setting.

He knew he shouldn't do this. After all, Clank had told him not to... no. Because of their foe Clank was in bad shape. He would pay for this, as everyone else did when they tried to harm the lombax's friends and loved ones. The assailant only added to his sin when he harmed Clank.

" _There's a first for everything_." Ratchet thought as he pulled the trigger. A blinding light began to radiate from the front of the cannon as it gathered the intense power for its one, powerful discharge. Loud whirring sounded off as the energy began to snap and crackle, short-circuiting lights and causing cracks to appear on the floor around the lombax. The weapon began to shake violently, unable to contain the energy it had gathered, threatening to destroy itself.

" _Not yet, please, not yet,_ " he silently pleaded. Ahead of him, the assailant punched through the barricade, shattering the structure as a second punch broke through. The same shroud covered the area, however, the lombax did not need to see. It wouldn't take long now. The assailant looked on at the glowing light in the darkness and in hearing the crackling of intense energy, it... frightened him. The power that was just wafting off the weapon was just too great. Panic quickly took over as he tried to fight against the fear that was keeping him immobile. Moments before Ratchet fired the weapon, he took one last look at his best friend, the one who helped him get here.

"I'm sorry Clank," the furry hero said, a lone tear rolling down his cheek as the Alpha Cannon continued to quake under its own power. Ratchet faced forward at his paralyzed foe and released the trigger. The extreme recoil flung Ratchet against the wall and an extreme, shocking pain exploded in him. The cannon unleashed a torrent of energy that rippled instantly across the hall seemingly destined to take the cowering villain. Beneath his gray and red helmet, the assailant closed his eyes and waited. Either his armor would save him or not.

The sudden transition of life and death never came for the would-be hero killer as he opened his eyes again to witness another figure, his back facing toward the assailant. The newcomer in question wore a dark gray shirt with a hood pulled down, revealing flaring brown hair with purple streaks. Light-colored pants and black boots completed the figure's outfit. The outsider was somehow holding back the energy.

No!

Miraculously, the newcomer was absorbing the oncoming destructive torrent, saving his life. A heavy thud on the head knocked the assailant out and he sunk to the floor. Ratchet, however, before slipping into unconsciousness saw the energy beam being absorbed by... well, it didn't matter now. He failed. Failed his friends, himself, even Clank—the one who always stood by him. But most of all, he failed his one chance he had to save his kind from a fate they did not deserve. Inches away from the creeping darkness, Ratchet could only make out one thing before he fell, "Clank will live."

* * *

 **AN: (1-11-2017) Edited.**

 **Also, this will be the last chapter edit I make to the story for awhile. I need to get back to working on PFP; it's long overdue.**

 **In addition, Chapter 25 to this story will also be put on hold. I plan to do an extensive writing session for chapters 3, 4, and possibly 5 of PFP before I come back to this story.**

 **So until next time dear readers,**

 **Max out.**


	6. Welcome Aboard, Talwyn!

"There," Terin said, pointing to the star cruiser that loomed before them.

"I see it. Ready to crash the party?" Nathaniel asked, giving his friend a thumbs-up.

"Sure thing. First though, we've got company."

Flying toward them were no more than twenty fighters. Every five ships moving into an upside-down V-formation.

" _Four groups_ ," the lombax thought, smiling, " _shouldn't pose a problem_."

"Hey Nate listen, I've got this. You go ahead and find Ratchet and Clank. I'd assume they'd be there."

"Roger, roger, cat'n,"

Terin held his breath and punched the ejector button for the shotgun. Zenith reared his canopy wide open and Nathaniel was sent flying out. Closing himself shut, Zenith dove down and bought the ships' attention. Surrounded in an aura of psychic power, Nathan cupped his hands together, gathered some power into a mass of energy and emitted it in one big pulse, zooming himself toward the cruiser. As he neared his destination, the psychic raised an arm parallel with his head, releasing a stream of purple mist, slowing his acceleration. Flipping himself right side up, Nathaniel landed feet-first on top of the cruiser and swept across the ship looking for the duo via telepathy.

" _Oh no._ "

Dashing across the cruiser, Nathaniel came to an airtight shaft that would take him inside. Turning the lock and opening the hatch, he climbed down the ladder. Reaching the last rung, Nathan dropped down and landed inside a broom closet. Blasting the door open, Nathan ran off toward Ratchet, who by now had just released an output equilvalent of the mother-of-all weapon attacks. By the time he got there, the psychic had maybe a few microseconds at best. Also, he couldn't just move the attacker out of the way. Even if he did, Nathaniel was no fool. Anyone could see the beam and know that anything it touched was just going to cease existing. Then again, he could always use Psiwalk and try to... no! Gritting his teeth, he thought hastily, " _No choice then_."

The instant before the beam hit, Nathaniel appeared in front of it and pressed his hands against it, gathering the energy into a ball that he could easily manage. At first, the energy beam wouldn't be gathered, it just pressed against him, shreading his hoodie shirt. There were no other options. He had to go Psiwalk. Slipping into it, the psychic felt his abilities greatly increase, wisps of purple mist became visible around his head, almost like a halo. His hair started rising as it took on a purple shading. With this power activated, Nathaniel was easily able to morph the energy into a compact sphere, containing the destructive force.

"Hey," a voice called from behind. Looking behind him, Nathaniel could see Terin exchanging wrench for assailant, hefting him onto his shoulder. Surveying the rest of the floor, Nathan could see both galactic heroes battered, lying on top of it. Rushing to Clank, Nathan took a look at him.

Busted.

That was a good word to describe the damaged Zoni robot. His optics were closed shut, his metal body had been scratched and dented, one of his arm servos was loose, even his attenae had stopped flashing.

"Will he live?" Terin questioned from behind.

"Clank will live," Nathaniel affirmed. "Although things are looking pretty bad for him. How about Ratchet?"

"Again, he'll live. Nothing like good 'ol nanotech for a bad injury, right?"

"Agreed. Come here and grab Clank will you."

"Okay."

Terin walked over and took the beaten robot in his free arm. He then proceeded to walk back to Zenith. Stepping over his wrench the lombax asked, "Can you grab my wrench on your way out?"

"I will."

"Thanks. By the way, your shirt is uh... destroyed."

Casting his sight downward, Nathaniel could see that, yes, his favorite hoodie shirt was in pieces.

"Eh, nothing my mind can't fix." A purple glow encircled the psychic's palm and made a replica of the shirt, only this time, it was a dark purple, not the usual gray.

"Cool. Let's hurry though."

Looking over to where Ratchet laid unconsious, Nathaniel extended a hand toward him, irises glowing a dark purple. Slowly, the galactic hero was lifted into the air. Doing the same with his other hand to Terin's wrench, the psychic made his way back to Zenith too. Upon arriving, Nathaniel saw Terin situating Clank inside the trunk.

"Put Ratchet in the shotgun seat," commanded the gray-furred lombax, taking his omniwrench from Nathan's telekinetic grip.

"All right."

Nathaniel manuevered Ratchet inside Zenith and Terin hopped in the driver seat. Sealing the hatch closed, Terin told Nathaniel over the com to grab the assailant and Aphelion and meet up with them on planet Kortog, Stratus City—

"—and get into contact with Talwyn, tell her to meet us there too." Terin finished, shouting over the roar of the ship's engines. Leaving the cruiser behind, Terin kicked it into overdrive toward Kortog, hoping to get medical treatment for the two heroes whose very lives depend on whether or not he gets there.

 _ **R &C**_

Inside the Apogee Space Station's comm room, Nathaniel was staring at a vast array of keyboard buttons. Buttons in a language he didn't understand.

"You'd think the call button would have a phone on it."

Giving one last look at the keyboard, Nathaniel decided to 'wing it' by randomly pressing every button he could. Nothing happened.

"This is so STUPID!" Nathan yelled, banging the keyboard. Suddenly, a ringing sound was heard. Looking up, confused, the psychic saw a blue screen with a white-lined phone buzzing; making a ringing noise with every buzz.

" _Huh, what do you know?_ "

Seconds later, a female markazian appeared on the screen. She was currently looking away from the screen, looking over something Nathan asssumed was various paperwork. From the way she was turned away, the psychic could only see the side of her face: smooth, red, shoulder-length hair with deep brown freckles below her long, pointed ear, spanning from her neck to lower cheek.

"Hey Ratchet, what's up?"

"I'm not Ratchet, Miss Apogee."

Turning toward the screen, Polaris Captain Talwyn Apogee saw Nathaniel standing there.

"Who are you?" She started quickly, narrowing her blue gaze at the psychic.

"The name's Nathaniel; I'm a friend. Listen, Ratchet and Clank are on their way to Kortog for medical treatment. Meet me there."

"What happened?"

"The entire station was attacked. We've captured one of their own, presumably the leader, but your friends are in bad shape." Talwyn turned to go but Nathan called out, stopping her. "Before you go, send some troopers here, I'll hand the attacker over and see you later." Talwyn watched as the psychic turned away, making a beeline for the exit. She let her hand hover over a key and pressed it, ending the call.

The screen went blank. A flood of emotions washed over the markazian. Their exchange had been brief, and intuition told her that 'Nathaniel' wasn't lying. Concern for the lombax and the robot prompted her to leave and see if they were alright. However, 'Nathaniel' requested troopers to arrest the attacker. Fine by her. Pressing a button on the intercom of her desk, Talwyn called for Sgt. Quill, who arrived moments later, carrying a package under his arm.

A man of few words, Sgt. Quill was a tall, well-built male of a reptilian-like species. One look however, gave anyone a variety of information. His skin tone was a very dark green. Overlapping dragon-like scales started on his hands and climbed up his arms. Stiking orange irises give one the impression of being under constant scrutiny. With a large, pointed nose, one would guess that his kind has a keen sense of smell. A small thin line across the bottom of his face indicated his mouth. His uniform was an armless, faded, black outfit complete with matching shirt and pants, an indigo combat vest, a silver belt with brown ranger boots.

"You called captain?" He inquired, his voice scratchy, irritating to those who weren't use to it.

"I did, Quill. First, set that box down and then I want you to do something."

"What would it be?"

"I just recently recieved word that an unknown party attacked my father's station. Ratchet, Clank and another man going by 'Nathaniel' were there and defeated them. However, Ratchet and Clank have been injured and are on their way to Kortog. Can you take a few troopers and get over to the station and retrieve this attacker? Nathaniel thinks that they captured the leader."

"Yes, ma'am."

With that, Quill vacated the room, leaving the markazian captain to make an impromptu leave of absence.

 _ **R &C**_

 _(Several Hours Later)_

An audible groan was heard from the other side of the door.

"He's stirring," someone pointed out.

"Let him be," another person replied.

"Follow me," the first commanded of the second.

Footsteps were the only sound heard as the two figures made their way through the quiet hospital, passing door by door, descending stair upon stair. Outside, however, was a noisy mass of hovercars and passers-by.

"You said we were being followed. The question is by who?" One of the two started, satisfied that no one else would overhear.

"No idea. Where's our attacker?" The other added, pulling out a small contraption from who knows where.

"With the authorities, I plan to make a visit when we're done here. What's that?"

"A Spy Tracker. I have a hunch that our talks are being bugged. Whoever is doing this is obviously well-funded, paitent, probably has more trained agents as his or her disposal and finally, able to work around corners... mainly your psychic powers."

"I never suspected anyone to try to. After all, time travel is a laughed at matter, not taken seriously by anyone."

"Know this then-if I can only teach you one thing: 'There will always be one who cares'." Sighing, the figure drew his arm up and pressed a button on his wrist watch, activating the Spy Tracker, which started to hover next to them before flying off.

"Besides, doesn't your "Clairvoyant Detection" warn you of any ill will toward you and your... oh."

"I haven't added them to my circle yet."

"Still, I think you would of been warned. Regardless, you think he's involved?"

"Terin, if he is, I would immeadiately leave and hunt that bas—."

"—hunt who down?"

Alarmed, both figures turned toward the source of the interjection.

"Ah Talwyn, that's unimportant," Nathaniel started quickly, rubbing his palms together, mentally berating himself for being able to be snuck up on like that. He must really be off his game. "What is important however is Ratchet and Clank. Are they ready to see us?"

After a swift nod of approval, the markazian turned around and went back inside. Exchanging looks, the two heroes followed suit. Although mainly quiet upon entry, visible hospital activity had picked up a bit since the two of them had left earlier. Ascending some flight of stairs, the group of three reached the 7th floor, temporary residence of the galactic duo. Walking in, the three made their short way to room 7-M.

A brightly illuminated white room revealed itself upon opening the door. Two beds, seperated by a partition, were seen upon entering. Steady beepings greeted the new arrivals, telling them that both heroes were doing fine. To the left, up against the wall, an entire computer system was set up, giving various readings. Nathaniel walked up to the partiton and slid it back, giving an illusion to a bigger room.

"Hey Ratchet, hey Clank" Terin greeted, walking up beside the lombax's cot. Talwyn took up her postion opposite Terin. Nathaniel, however, claimed one of the few chairs spaced across the room. (Ironically, this chair was next to Clank's cot.)

'Hey you guys' and 'Hello' were the joint greetings of the duo.

"How are you two feeling?" Talwyn asked calmly.

"I've been better," Ratchet responded, shrugging.

"I am alright," Clank answered, raising a working arm for the group to see.

"You guys ready to get going then?" Nathaniel inquired.

"Nathaniel! Seriously?!" Talwyn complained.

"What?!" He began, exhasperated. "They're fine."

Chuckling, Ratchet sat himself up and started moving his upper body around, feeling it out. When finished, the lombax then moved down to the lower body, making sure that it worked too. Meanwhile, Clank silently went through a checklist of functions, making sure that each worked at full capacity. When finished, the duo announced, "Ready!"

"That's good to hear," Nathaniel said, standing up, sticking his tongue out at the markazian who simply rolled her eyes. Ratchet swung out of the bed and proceeded to follow Terin and Talwyn out the door. Clank then stood up and slid off the edge of the matress, metal soles making a "clang" sound on the linoleum.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes."

Both heroes left the room leaving Nathan to turn off the lights while shutting the door. Meeting up with the other three, Nathaniel told them to leave and that he'll take care of the bills. Ratchet, Clank and Talwyn briefly glanced at one another while Terin ushered them out. Easing up to the registration desk, the psychic took stock of the situation.

" _It's me and her. Human versus Markazian. All you need to do is to make her overlook this. Should be easy... hopefully._ "Nathaniel sighed mentally." _It's times like these I wish I payed more attention to Aven on such things._ "

"Hello."

"Good afternoon, I assume that you're going to sign them out?"

"I will be. But thought that a few pleasantries could be exchanged first. Name's Nathaniel, yours?"

"Kayla."

"Pretty name."

"Thank you." Her voice was discreet. A public facade from behind the counter. Nathaniel mentally hit himself. This won't be easy.

"So look, Ratchet and Clank, I mean... they're heroes, you know, consistently putting their lives on the lines for the well-being of us all. Don't you think that just this once, it can be overlooked."

"I'm sorry, but their injuries were sustained outside of public service. I'm sorry Nathaniel, but it's regulation."

"Could I see the file you have on them?"

"Of course." Kayla replied, turning the monitor around so Nathan could get a good look.

" _Curse you and your honorable ways Terin._ " Nathaniel thought venomously, seeing that their was no exploiting a loophole.

"Well then, I now hate my best friend."

"At least he's an honest lombax-"

"-hey, I'm honest-"

One look made the psychic rethink his statement.

"-when I want to be."

"Would you take a look behind you?"

"Sure."

Doing as asked, Nathaniel saw that a camera had been watching them intently. Waving back at it, Nathan told Kayla, "So, doesn't bug me. I was just trying to make a convience for the two. I appriciate that you take this job seriously so here's what I'm going to do." With that, Nathaniel stuck his hands into his pockets.

Pockets?

Uh-oh!

"One moment please?" Nathan petitioned, turning away, making telepathic contact with his friend.

" _Terin, Terin come in_."

" _Yeah Nate, what's wrong_."

" _Remember at the ship when you told me that my hoodie was destroyed_."

" _Don't say it_."

" _My wallet was in there_."

" _Ugh_!"

" _I know. Now, Kayla wondering what's wrong_."

" _Kayla?_ _Nathan, were you trying to-_ "

"- _ **NO**_ **!** "

"You know, Nathaniel, if there is something wrong, I can just send the bill over to your-"

"-no no no no no no, that won't be nessacary. I'll handle this."

" _Terin, what do I do_?"

" _Just have it transfered to your account; pay it later_."

" _You know I hate doing that_."

" _No choice. Just do it and get out here. We're all waiting for you_."

Nathaniel canceled telepathy and muttered, "Thanks Terin, thanks."

He turned around and walked over to the counter. He asked Kayla if he could see the monitor again.

"I'll assume something bad happened?" Kayla ventured, seeing Nathan's dissapointment.

"Yeah and I'd rather not talk about it."

A few seconds rolled by before Nathan, as an afterthought, added, "Sorry for... you know... making you wait like that. I just thought that I was all set but noooooooo."

"It's no big deal."

A genuine smile found its way back on the psychic as he finished the bill transfer, his gaze turning toward the window.

"Well thanks for your patience. That's a rare thing when one can keep it with me around."

"I'm sure you're not that bad."

Chuckling, Nathan shook his head and faced Kayla. "You just don't know me."

"That's a real shame then."

An impish smile from the markazian made the human freeze in his tracks.

"You're something else, you know that." Nathan said after a few stunned moments. He gave Kayla a mischievous look. "I'll be seeing you later."

"Bye," was the last thing Nathan heard before walking out the door.

* * *

"What took you so long?"

That was the question fired from a ticked off, golden-furred lombax when he saw Nathaniel walk outside.

"Business," the human simply replied, marching by Ratchet, heading for his friend. Calling back over his shoulder, Nathan added, " By the way, you and Clank owe me 20,000 bolts."

"What?!" Both of them started, disbelief blatant on their features.

"Wasn't covered," the human put simply, shrugging.

"We'll worry about that later. Right now, we have a killer to interrogate." Talwyn said, walking over to her ship. Ratchet and Clank followed closely behind.

"That's sounds really good right now," Nathaniel whispered to Terin. The silver-furred lombax, however, rolled his eyes and shook his head dissaprovingly.

"So, you coming in Zenith or you going to 'jet' out of here."

Smirking in return, Nathaniel activated his psychic aura and took off into space toward Igliak. Terin watched as the purple lining shrunk with the growing distance between them.

"What just happened?" Terin heard Ratchet ask in surprise.

"My friend is capable of traveling from planet to planet. He doesn't always do it, but when he does, it's capable of blowing the ordinary person's mind."

Terin jumped inside Zenith and took off. Ratchet, Clank and Talwyn, surprised from the newfound power of the psychic, hopped in their own ships, following right behind the silver lombax.

 _ **R &C**_

The Igliak Detention Center: a prison where people stay when the highest of laws are broken. While attempting to murder famous heroes isn't exactly a 'highest of laws', it was by Talwyn's word that the would-be-killer was taken there until the five of them could come around. A good hour passed before the five in total arrived. At the doors, they were stopped and put through a simple security check. Passing, they made there way to the 'Inquisitor's Block', a standard room where criminals are interrogated. They arrived and saw the assailant cuffed and guarded, waiting for them. Before entering, Nathaniel asked, "Who's going down there?"

"Personally, it should be either Ratchet and Clank. I mean, they were the ones who were attacked, right?" Talwyn pointed out.

"I agree. Although any smart person having a choice between both duos would choose the well-known one, no offense." Terin said, holding his hands up in defense.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ratchet questioned, indignant.

"Means your pathetically weak and should let real people handle this." Nathan answered. "I don't know about you, but I'm going in."

"Are you capable of reading minds, Nate?" Clank inquired politely, doing his best to hide his current contempt for the way Nathaniel was acting.

"Yep."

"It seems reasonable then that you should be the one to question our killer."

"Yesssssssss. So long suckers." Nathaniel whooped, walking into the room.

Shaking his head, Terin spoke. "Clank, piece of friendly advice: 'Never give Nathaniel the chance to one-up people'. No one likes it." The Zoni, surprised by that statement, exchanged looks with his friends and when seeing their annoyed expressions said, "I will keep that in mind then."

Everyone, excluding Nathan, made their way into an adjacent room where they could listen in, although, in this case, they doubted that they would be able to hear anything. The holo-screen showed Nathaniel sitting in a chair, kicking his legs up on the table, trying to get comfortable.

"Alright bud, let's cut to the chase, who's behind this?" He began.

Facepalms first.

Loud groans immeadiately followed.

"Just watch," Terin commanded, inwardly chuckling at their dissapointment in Nathan's capabilites.

"Like I'm **really** going to tell you who I work for," the assailant shot back, venom laced in his words.

"Look here dude," Nathaniel said, placing his elbows on the table, leaning forward on them. "There are five people here with intrest in what you have to say. For instance: 'Good Cop, Bad Cop', that's Talwyn. 'Two Pissed Off Lombaxes', Terin and Ratchet—you tried to kill one of them. 'Some Metal Guy', i.e. Clank. And finally," Nathaniel said before taking a deep breath, pronunciating the final title, 'Terror Your Feeble Mortal Mind Cannot Comprehend', me."

" _Don't question it man_." Terin thought, thinking he had anticipated the killer's next statement.

"You... are 'Terror My Feeble Mortal Mind Cannot Comprehend'. Riiiiight?"

" _He questioned it_."

Nathaniel simply looked at the interrogatee with a neutral expression, before giving way to laughter.

"Is he always this much of an idiot?" Talwyn asked, words deflated by the psychic's jovial attitude.

"He's memorized all of Unicop. Any more questions?" Terin answered, a wide, toothy grin on his face. "Don't worry, he did this all the time back home too. It drove the Federation crazy."

"Federation? You mean the Voklin Federation."

Instantly, the lombax's face fell. They had overlooked that small detail, thinking that getting Ratchet and Clank to come along would be easy... or easier than what has already transpired. Sheepishly risking a glance, Terin simply pointed to the door and asked if they could take the conversation outside. Talwyn agreed and the two left Ratchet and Clank behind to watch the show, which by now had picked up in 'entertainment'.

"Do **not** insult my mother like that! She is **not** evil!"

"Getting on your nerves was easier than I had anticipated. Plus, you haven't gotten a single bit of information out of me. Why not send the others around, see if they can't do any better."

By now, Nathaniel was just beyond mad. Feeling his hands clenching into fists, he glared at the assailant who by now was just chuckling darkly.

"Where is the 'Terror" I've heard of."

First, a cocked head and a straight mouth came over the psychic. Narrow eyes and a low voice came next. "You want terror?" Nathaniel asked, breathing fear into the room. This only amused the assailant who nodded curtly to the psychic.

A world of mental hurt followed.

Sudden purple light engulfed the whole room. When it faded Nathaniel stood, the brown in his hair had gone full purple, standing on end, a halo of purple mist coiled around him, his psychic power in fruition. This power though, was starting to crush the assailant between his mental force and the wall. However, the wall wasn't nearly as sturdy as the killer and began to crack.

"Nathan, STOP THIS!" Ratchet yelled over the loudspeaker.

"You must stop this Nathaniel, this is not what you came here to do." Clank added, a pleading note filled the room.

At first their words did nothing and Nathaniel just continued his single-minded abuse, making the would-be murderer scream in agony. Extending his hand, the psychic began gathering energy into a sphere of mental power.

"ENOUGH!"

Bursting into the room, Terin braced himself against the diffusion of psychic power.

" _Stay out of this Terin_!" Nathaniel transmitted, the voice inside the lombax's head was beyond loud. Deafening really.

"This isn't what you want!"

A slight laxing took place as the psychic grimaced. Terin noticed this and risked speaking again.

"Come on! Stop this and just get what we need!"

Seconds passed by but nothing changed. Abruptly, the power ceased and Nathaniel lowered his arm, head hung in shame. Placing a hand on Nathan's shoulder Terin spoke softly, "Not your fault. Do you have what we need?"

Nathaniel looked at the fallen form of the assailant, irises briefly turning purple before reverting to their normal hazel.

"I do."

"Good man. Now let's go."

Sweeping his gaze across the room, Nathan looked at the destruction he'd caused. The room was totaled and the walls were cracked. A cluster of troops appeared and stood at the ready, blasters drawn and ready to fire.

"Heh heh, sorry." Nathaniel apologized, hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Bill me later, okay."

Together, the two walked by and made their way to the watching room. Upon entering, they met three people and three various expressions: shock, bewilderment, and anger.

"You know Nate, you can't lose it like that, ever. If you want us to come along, you've got to keep yourself under control." Ratchet scolded. Grumbling an "okay" in response, the psychic turned and walked away. The golden lombax turned to his silver kin. "Thanks for the help."

"Happy to. Come on, we'll let the troops deal with this."

"Soooo, what now?" Talwyn ventured awkardly, walking alongside the lombaxes and Zoni.

"Well… we find someone who can give us a starting point to finding Travel The Days."

"Have you tried talking to the Fongoids? They are quite knowledgeable about the Zoni," Clank suggested.

"No can do Clank, we've already tried. It didn't work."

"How about Sigmund then?" Again, Clank.

"The new Senior Caretaker Sigmund," Terin inquired.

"Yes."

"We could always try. We'd always tried to avoid the Clock. You know, opposite of our interests and all that but, do you think he'd know about it?"

"I am not sure. But I believe it to be worth a shot."

"We've no better options then, Sigmund it is. Nathaniel and I will see you guys at the Clock." Terin called back while speeding toward the exit.

Silence passed by the three of them while they walked along the halls. Breaking it, the lombax ventured a question to Talwyn.

"Hey Tal, could me and Clank use your ship or are you coming along?"

"I'm coming. Been awhile since we've had an adventure together."

"It sure has. Okay then."

By the time they got outside, Terin and Nathaniel were already long gone. Knowing Nate's new ability, he was probably there already, though the Great Clock was far, far away. Hopping inside Talwyn's ship, the three made their way for the center of the universe, give or take fifty feet.

* * *

 **AN: (7-8-17) Edited.**


	7. Sigmund And The Way

The Great Clock.

Many words come to mind when one gazes upon it: gigantic, colossal, enormous, substantial. The list was about as endless as its size. For Nathaniel however, one word came to mind and that was 'grandiose'. Everything about this place was over-the-top, necessary, but still over-the-top. The four massive rings which encompassed the station alone, was just one testament to the sheer size and magnitude of the Clock. Coming to a complete stop, Nathaniel up righted himself and let his gaze sweep over the magnificence before him. Its many rooms and stations, all of various shapes and sizes, were a rustic, golden color, polished brilliantly, reflecting the light that shone on the station. It forced the psychic to squint.

He landed on a platform ways away from a central dome with large glass windows encircling the building. Instantly recognizing that to be the Orvus Chamber, the psychic took a moment to analyze the platform he stood on.

"Crazy, Ratchet died here," he breathed, both wonder and dread edging his words. Cupping his hands together over his mouth, Nathaniel shouted. "Hey Sigmund, are you here?!"

No response.

However, his calling attracted the attention of some Zoni that'd flown by. Flying over to the psychic, the three Zoni stared at the new arrival. Nathaniel, in a similar fashion, was also amazed by the Zoni, staring at their oddly shaped heads, two zig-zag antennae, big, pure blue eyes, short and stubby bodies, small feet, and three tiny fingers. They hovered before the psychic, and after seeing that this stranger posed no threat, they finally communicated a question to Nathaniel.

"Who are you?"

Breaking from his stupor, the psychic shook his head vigorously and stammered, "I... I... I'm Nathaniel."

"Why have you come here?"

"Well... I'm here to see Sigmund. Would you happen to know where he is?"

"The Senior Caretaker?"

"Mmhmm."

"The Senior Caretaker is currently busy fixing time anomalies. Wait here."

"Will do."

Soon after they left, Nathan heard a familiar roar of an engine coming from behind. Turning on his heel, Nathaniel saw Zenith land on an adjacent landing pad. Pulling up the canopy cover, Terin hopped out and gave a small wave before hoverbooting over.

"Hey, you get in touch with anyone yet?" Terin inquired.

"Yeah. Three Zoni are apparently going to get Sigmund over here. Where are the others?"

"They'll be here soon."

"Alright then."

The minutes rolled by in silence as the two comrades stood against the passing minutes. After what seemed to be an eternity, the Zoni from before came to them with Sigmund in tow. The red and gray cleaner bot looked no different from the video Nathaniel saw while at IRIS. That much was for sure. Yet, despite the unchanging appearance, Sigmund now carried the Chronospecter, a symbol of his status as 'Senior Caretaker of the Great Clock'.

"Hello Sigmund, my name is Terin," the lombax began. "And this," he continued, pointing to his friend, "is Nathaniel."

"Nice to meet you, Caretaker," Nathan greeted, extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you two, too," Sigmund returned before breaking into a laughing fit.

"Hilarious," the psychic remarked sarcastically, letting his hand drop to his side again. Terin simply rolled his eyes.

"That really is funny Sigmund but, we need to ask you a rather important question."

"Oh," Sigmund said, abruptly putting an end to his own laughter, turning serious again. "What is it then?"

Terin gave shifty looks around and raised his ears, letting himself make sure that it is safe to ask. He didn't feel safe.

"Is there a place where we can talk? I fear we're being listened in on."

"Umm, sure. Follow me," the caretaker commanded before taking off.

Both heroes ran off after him as Sigmund headed toward the Orvus Chamber. They managed to catch up to him as he opened the door.

"Here, I believe we should be safe," Sigmund said before proceeding inside.

"One more thing though," Nathaniel mentioned, grabbing his friend's attention. Turning around, Terin opened his mouth to speak, but closed it upon seeing another ship touchdown right where Nathaniel landed.

"Who else is here?" Sigmund requested.

"Ratchet, Clank and Talwyn. You two go in. I'll get them," Nathan hollered back as he flew off toward the late arrivals.

* * *

"Hey, you made it."

"Glad we could. Now, where's Terin?" Ratchet asked.

"Inside the Orvus Chamber with Sigmund, come on."

With that, the four made their way for the Orvus Chamber. Upon arrival, Ratchet stopped walking and stood before its entrance, a flood of memories rushing to his mind. Clank noticed this and, catching on, walked over, saying three simple words to the lombax. "I understand, Ratchet."

A strained smile revealed itself before Ratchet told Clank to go on ahead. "I'll just be a minute," he finished. Nodding his approval, Clank turned and ran back toward the others.

"Nothing will be the same," Nathaniel whispered to Terin while keeping his gaze on where Ratchet stood, leaning against the wall at the entrance of the chamber.

"We'll all be better for it," was the lombax's simple statement. Turning his attention toward Sigmund, Terin began the questionnaire.

"Sigmund, over the many millennia that you've assisted at this station with Orvus, have you ever heard of any mention of an artifact called 'Travel The Days'?"

So shocked the Senior Caretaker was, everyone in the room could have sworn that the red paint faded to match the gray on the rest of his body.

"T... t... tra... travel... th... the... d... da... days?"

"The one and only. Would you have any idea how to begin searching for it, or better yet, know its location."

"I do but, no one is to know that information. I promised Orvus that only his son, as Senior Caretaker, would ever be allowed access to that information."

"Well that's a bummer," Nathan griped, shooting an accusing glance at Clank. If the robot noticed, he made no show of it, instead, Clank seemed to think of a good reason to convince Sigmund to give up the knowledge which currently left them at an impasse. Huddling together, Talwyn, Clank, Nathaniel, and Terin began exchanging ideas.

"I say we go for the guilt trip," the psychic offered first.

"Do you have any good ideas?" Talwyn retorted, clearly annoyed.

"Of course I have good ideas!" Nathaniel fired back, indignant.

"Hey, chill. Talwyn is right though Nate, that's not a good idea," Terin added.

"Okay, you guys are probably right, that's not a good idea. That's a great idea!"

"Nate, we're-"

"-yes we are, now listen. Had Sigmund opened his mouth, all this could have been avoided. Instead, we have a dead general, a lombax who had chosen to give up, and a son who knew nothing of his legacy until about four years ago. Plus, existence would not have been threatened in the way it was."

"Nathaniel, I believe my father had good reasons to keep the artifact as much of a secret as possible. Time travel, even if we know it to be in reach, is still incredibly dangerous and there are risks involved."

"Fine. I see that I'm outvoted. Any better ideas?"

"Actually, I like that idea, but 'guilting' is taking it too far," Ratchet said, taking his place in the huddle next to Clank and Talwyn.

"Look who's rejoined the land of the living, welcome back Ratchet," the psychic voiced, offering a fist bump. Giving one in return, Ratchet looked at each person in the group and spoke his idea, "Clank, do you think Sigmund will listen to you based on your lineage, after all, you are Orvus' son?"

"Now that's a good idea," Terin admitted.

"Much better than Nathan's," agreed Talwyn.

"Which was totally lame," Terin bounced back.

"WE GET IT!" An outraged Nathan cried out, storming away from the group, causing an eruption of light hearted laughter.

"So Clank, what do you say?" Terin inquired.

"I will do it. Although I do not like the idea of using my birthright. "Breaking off from the circle, Clank walked in front of the Senior Caretaker and looked up at Sigmund. When Clank spoke, his normally even, calm tone was replaced with authority none believed the robot was capable of.

"As the son of Orvus, Engineer Of The Great Clock and Leader Of The Zoni, I ask that you, Sigmund, give us the information we seek on Travel The Days."

Looking on, the five of them could see that Sigmund held an internal struggle with himself. On one hand, Clank had given his position as Senior Caretaker away and only in that position would Sigmund reveal the secret location of the artifact in accordance with what Orvus commanded. On the other hand, Clank's claim to the knowledge was legal what with him being next in line and all that. As the minutes rolled by, Sigmund finally lifted has head and addressed the group. "You came for the location of Travel The Days. As Senior Caretaker, I've decided in favor of XJ-0461's request and entrust its secret with you five."

Adjusting his computer monitor, Sigmund began typing on the screen.

"Accessing archives," the Clock's supercomputer said. "WARNING! WARNING! YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO ACCESS RESCRICTED DATA!"

The chamber glowed red as Sigmund typed furiously, muttering something about an 'evil computer'.

"OVERWRITE CODE: 'ALPHA AND OMEGA' ENTERED. ACCESS GRANTED.

Now inside the system, the chamber reverted back to its normal state and Sigmund proceeded to lock down the Orvus Chamber. Steel walls came from the dome roof and covered the glass windows. All lights went off for a split second before coming back on, bathing the room in dark blue. The center console revealed itself from the floor. But instead of the 'master switch', the console revealed a gray, cube shaped object with an attached white pyramid on it. A Zoni suddenly popped into existence next to Sigmund. Then another, then another. By the end there was a total of fifteen hovering extraterrestrials inside the chamber.

"Now," ordered Sigmund. A loud humming began as the Zoni gathered their bio-energy into a massive concentrated beam. When their energy had reached a point deemed suitable by the caretaker, he gave the order to 'fire'. At once a blinding beam emanated from the Zoni toward the strange object, causing it to hover in mid-air and fold itself into something else.

"Enough," again ordered the caretaker. Instantly, the Zoni obeyed and simply vanished, no longer needed. He typed on his computer which activated the strange object, showing the five heroes (and one caretaker) an extensive holo-map.

"Here we are," Sigmund began, pointing to a galaxy. "This is Polaris."

"BEEPING SHIZ!"

Terin, Ratchet, Clank, Talwyn and Sigmund simply stared at the psychic who, offended, became defensive and pointed out that this is totally 'shiz-worthy".

"Just continue Sigmund, we're going to pretend that didn't happen." Terin suggested.

"Alrighty then. Well, this is us," the caretaker said while he began to search north of Polaris. "And here," he finished, pointing to a galaxy far above Polaris. "This is the Tempalo galaxy."

Zooming in, Sigmund pointed to a small, cyan colored planet surrounded by seven rings, each circling the planet at various angles. "Here lies planet Kranis, the housing place of Travel The Days. However, before reaching Kranis, you have to make sure that it's aligned with our time."

"Aligned?" Everyone asked, skeptical to its meaning.

"Indeed, after making Travel The Days, the Agent Of Time chose Kranis to house it. But to prevent anyone from finding it, whether by accident or by purpose, he phased the entire planet out of existence and surrounded the planet and its surrounding area in a disruption field. Anyone who finds their way inside without aligning Kranis become outcasts of time. They become endless wanderers who guard the artifact from everyone, even seekers like yourselves."

"Then how do we get to Kranis?" Demanded the markazian.

"Simple." Pulling back up the layout of Tempalo, Sigmund pointed to three planets in near vicinity of Kranis: a green giant of a planet with several moons in orbit, some even bigger than Kranis. Another planet was yellow in color, an average size world with no moons and appeared to be made of gases. The final world was another large sized sphere resembling Kerwan.

"Planets Voran, Duelin and Jenavi. At each of these planets is a tower that you must activate in sequence in order to phase Kranis back into our time, allowing you access to Travel The Days."

"What's the sequence then?" Terin inquired.

"You start on Jenavi, there you'll meet a small group of people called the Crolnan." Sigmund replied, pointing to the Kerwan-like world. "They will tell you everything you need to know."

"That's it?" The psychic asked, hesitant. Sigmund nodded.

"What are we waiting for then, let's go!"

Sigmund typed something on his screen, deactivating the holo-map and lockdown. Nathaniel dashed out of the room, followed by Terin, then Talwyn, leaving the duo inside the chamber.

"If I may, what do you plan to do with Travel The Days sir?" Sigmund asked of his old boss.

The Zoni's response was simple. "We plan on returning the Lombaxes to Fastoon."

"Well, good luck then."

"Take care, Sigmund."

The duo followed the others out of the chamber and toward the landing pad, where they witnessed Nathaniel talking to five Zoni before they headed off toward who knows where.

"Hey Terin, where are they going?" Ratchet questioned.

"We're all headed for the Apogee Space Station. Nathaniel went ahead with the Zoni to fix Aphelion."

"Alright then. We'll see you there."

"You too."

 _ **R &C**_

The walls flipped over to reveal weapon after weapon. Row after row of insanity at the pull of a trigger. Terin let out a low whistle as he beheld all the "Tools Of Destruction". Spotting a familiar, blue gloved weapon, Terin took it off the rack and stuck his hand through.

"Blizzard Mine Glove, impressive. Back home we also have Pyro, then Inferno Mine Glove." Terin commented, getting a feel for the frost throwing weapon. "I presume all these weapons are fully upgraded."

Ratchet nodded his head in agreement and grabbed a heavy looking shotgun off the rack and looked it over.

"What's that one?"

"The Quantum Replusor. It fires shotgun pellets filled with quantum energy, not only harming my enemies, but trapping them inside a stasis bubble for a short time."

"Sweet."

"Come on you crazy cats! The Lombaxes aren't bringing themselves home," Nathaniel called out from across the hall.

"If you ever want to smack Nathan up-side the head, feel free to do so, everyone will thank you," Terin said, noticing Ratchet letting out a small growl.

"I heard that."

Checking the walls one last time and feeling that nothing was overlooked, Ratchet turned the Bomb Glove statue, reverting the wall back to blankness. Both lombaxes left the room, letting the doors seal shut behind them. When they joined the others, Nathaniel asked Terin if everything was ready."

"I don't know, run the list by me."

"Okay. Team?"

"Check."

"Weapons?"

"Check."

"Gadgets?"

"Check."

"Other essentials?"

"Check."

"We're good then."

"Now let's go, Jenavi it is." Ratchet ordered.

The five heroes headed off for the landing bay, where their ships awaited their arrival.

"Good to see you up and running again Aphelion," Ratchet said, climbing aboard his ship with Clank right behind him.

"It's good to be up and running as well."

"I'll go on ahead. See you all later." Nathan shouted back as he jet out of the station.

"I have sent the coordinates of Planet Jenavi to everyone's nav-units. Do you have them?"

Terin and Talwyn answered positively.

"Alright, keep in contact and we'll see each other later," Ratchet said before taking off with Aphelion, following the long-gone psychic. The other two (three if you count Zenith) pursued the duo out of the station into the vastness of space toward the Tempalo Galaxy. And Planet Kranis, house of Travel The Days.

 _ **R &C**_

"HE FAILED?!"

A great fist came down on the table, shattering it in two. The messenger simply cowered in place, unable to do anything. Seeing the courier in fear brought small satisfaction to him, although it didn't last.

"Who else of our agents are left?"

"Only two... sir."

"Contact both of them and tell them to get over here."

The soldier left in a great hurry, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the speaker's anger. Hefting himself from his chair, he patted himself for a communicator. Finding one, he activated it and held it in the palm of his hand. In moments, a holographic head appeared and spoke, seemingly agitated.

"Da kur, Sannabrich?"

"My lord, our first agent has failed. They are on their way to find Travel The Days."

"ORKINAL?!"

"It is possible. What's our next move?"

"Gen moqu azin, Sannabrich, fenik ovru hajt."

"Will do."

The hologram vanished. This left the 'Sannabrich' to turn around, facing a space-viewing window. A creaking noise bought his attention. Without turning he asked, "What is it?"

"The agents are on there way, sir."

"Good, tell me when they arrive."

"Yes sir."

The soldier left quickly and the 'sannabrich' turned his attention back toward space, thinking ahead to another, eventual, confrontation.

* * *

 **AN: "Da kur, Sannabrich?" = "What is it, Commander?"  
"ORKINAL?!" = "Impossible?!"  
"Gen moqu azin Sannabrich; fenik ovru hajt." = "Just follow them Commander; I will think it over."  
**

 **(7-8-17) Edited.**


	8. Answers

"Well, that's done."

The golden-furred lombax known as Ratchet said, taking the fuel pump out, rotating it around his hand like a pistol before returning it to the fuel station. Currently, the five prospective time travelers were docked at a refueling station after several hours of constant flight throughout northern Polaris.

"According to Aphelion, we are nearing the edge of Polaris and should pass it within an hour." Clank announced from inside said ship's cockpit.

" _That's good to know. Can Aphelion dig up any info on the galaxy we'll be passing through_?" A now meditating psychic transmitted out loud.

"Yes, although that will not be necessary."

" _Got it_."

"Hey Nate, can you see what's taking the others so long?" Ratchet asked, pushing himself out from under Aphelion on a rolling board.

" _Uhhh, where did you get that board_?"

"Found it."

" _Okay, won't press_."

Putting his index and middle fingers to his temples, Nathan swept the station for the others. He found Talwyn calling the Polaris Defense Force and Terin... taking a rest stop. Breaking off his search, the psychic grumbled about 'hating when he does that'. Standing up, Nathaniel stretched and walked over to the galactic duo.

"Did you find them?" Ratchet inquired, his voice coming from underneath his ship.

"Yeah, Tal is trying to explain the situation without giving away any specific details and Terin is...'doing his business'."

"Alright then."

"What are you doing under there anyway?"

"Fixing Aphelion."

"I thought the Zoni did that?"

"They did." Ratchet let out a sigh as he continued working on the under carriage. "Don't take this the wrong way but-"

"-it's your ship; and I'm sure Aphelion has her own preferences too."

"That is correct." she affirmed, startling the psychic.

"It really is easy to scare you, isn't it?" another robotic voice cut in, causing Nate to shoot a death glare at Terin's ship.

"You quiet down Zenith."

"Make me."

"Boys, boys, settle down," Aphelion ordered. Nathan and Zenith glared at each other before relaxing.

"You got lucky Zenith," Nathan warned. "Next time, you will be thrown into the nearest sun."

"Nathan!" Ratchet called, a cautioned tone in his voice. "Remember, 'you've got to keep yourself under control'."

"Okay," Nathaniel grumbled. Taking a seat on the ground, Nathan closed his eyes and let his head rest against Aphelion's wing, wanting the minutes to roll by. That however, didn't last long.

"Hey guys, what's up." Terin greeted suddenly, coming around a corner.

"What took you so long to go?" Nathan demanded.

"That's my business." Looking around, Terin took a count. Coming up with one less, he opended his mouth to voice his question before being cut off by Nathan. "Talking to the Defense Force; she should be here any minute."

"That reminds me," Clank started, capturing the attention of both human and his lombax friend. "Earlier today Terin, I noticed that you had a little slip-up at the Detention Facility."

"I did. What about it?"

"Well, I was just browsing Aphelion's computer looking for information on the 'Voklin Federation' and I came up with some rather interesting information."

Glancing at his friend, Terin started thinking. " _It had to happen._ "

" _Agreed_."

Standing up, Nathan dusted himself off, all the while saying, "It all depends on what you've read Clank. Outside of the Voklin Galaxy, no one really knows about the Federation beside the heavily biased stories which escape those who left Voklin after the Federation solidified their rule."

"In no small part, thanks to you."

"What?"

"It says here that: ' **In a final battle that took place on a moon of the Ribunis homeworld of Kalkron, the psychic known as Nathaniel crushed the leaders of the Tribunal rebellion and helped establish Federation dominance across Voklin'**."

"LET ME SEE!"

In a blink of an eye, Nathan was leaning into Aphelion's cockpit, staring intently at the screen, speed reading what Clank just quoted. Ratchet, now interested, pushed himself out from under Aphelion and stood up, grabbing a towel from his toolbox and began wiping himself off. Looking over Nathan's shoulder, Ratchet also read what Clank just quoted.

"Just who... who are you Nathaniel?" The lombax questioned, directing a analytical look at the psychic.

"Phew, you would not beileve how annoying that was," Talwyn declared, making her way toward the group, only to notice everyone's solemn expressions.

"What did I miss?"

"Nothing. In fact you're just in time."

"For what?"

"Confessions," Ratchet replied, keeping his gaze on the human.

"I'll speak of a few things, although not for long. We really should be hitting the road."

"We've got time."

"Okay, okay. Where to start? Well, I am a "de facto" member of the Federation. Terin, he's-"

"-we're not talking about Terin," Ratchet started bluntly. "We're talking about you. The man who nearly killed another by crushing him through the sole power of his mind. The man who probably possesses a myriad of psychic powers and universe knows what happened the last time Clank and I fought a psychic. The man who, from what I've seen, is prone to bursts of anger. This is about you Nate, not Terin. Continue."

"Fine! Seven years ago, I did put down the 'Tribunal Rebellion'. I also spent those seven years getting to know the Federation for who they truly are, not as the demons everyone potrays them as. Yes, I nearly killed a man and I'm sorry that I let my anger control me, especially with powers as strong as mine. Believe me, I don't wish to make these mistakes. But I believe that everyone is wrong to think that the Federation is as bad as they are."

Turning away, Nathaniel looked up toward the stars, activating his aura.

" _Now come on. I'll waste no more time here_."

The others watched as Nathaniel darted off the station and headed into space.

"Does anyone want to tell me what just happened?" Talwyn demanded, scowling at the others.

"Nothing too important. Something you'll all learn in the future. It's just that Ratchet asked for it in the wrong way," Terin answered.

"Ooookay then. Come on, we have to get Nathan before we lose him."

"I wouldn't worry if I were you. He can easily find us if he gets lost. Let's just head to Tempalo and leave him to cool down," he advised.

They all cleaned up and climbed aboard their ships. Together, they left the station behind and headed up toward their destination.

 _ **R &C**_

He saw the four of them fly by. None of them noticed where he stood, on top a nearby asteroid, his psychic aura barely visible as the only necessities were breathing and maintaining body temperature. He had telepathically read their entire conversation from the asteroid too. He didn't like intruding on others like that, especially when they didn't know he was intruding, but he did it anyway. Taking a deep breath, Nathaniel looked up toward the countless little white dots that filled in the void of blackness.

" _Leave him to cool down._ "

Terin's words echoed inside the psychic's head as he contemplated what just took place. He truly did lose it back there at the detention center. He thought about his present company. Ratchet and Clank never killed anyone they fought... at least not intentionally. They could only do so much, unlike him, and they did that. It's just sometimes not enough. And that was another thing, while the stories about the Federation held grains of truth to them, the military organization typically meant well. The psychic's 'okay' attitude to kill others had been planted during his seven years there.

" _Heh, trying to reason everything out. I sound just like the Magistrate. Although you were the most levelheaded voice I knew from in the Federation. Even out of it too._ "

His mind began to walk back down memory lane, tracing the names and faces who'd been there from the beginning of the psychic's stay on Voklin. There were a variety of people Nathaniel knew among the Federation's commanding officers. Some on a personal level while others were only on a first name, same face basis. For instance: the leader of it all, Grand Admiral Torskov. While he knew him least, Nathaniel still held respect for him. Next was High General Keer, the "fun" officer. Keer was someone who preferred a good time to working but was always able to discern the appropriate time and place for things. "Being cool" was what Aven called it.

 _"Hmm, Aven. Its amazing you and your brother actually grew up together. Your differences are way too numerous."_

Aven's brother was none other than Commander Noss. In nearly every aspect the two brothers were mirror opposites, depending where one was at on the scale. Be it physically, mentally, or socially, you could find a dozen plethora of differences that boggled any mind.

" _That's what happens when you're raised by two different hands though._ "

Growing up, Aven never knew truly what a burden was. His older brother carried all of theirs, but only after their parents died. The commander was the one who raised Aven from an early age. Still, Aven always appriciated what his brother did for him. Yet, once they grew up, they joined two completely different organization, one's that fit their personal preferences quite nicely.

Different in deed... indeed.

 _"Then there was your brother Aven, Commander Noss."_

No first name. In all his years as a Federation trooper, Nathaniel knew him as 'sir', 'Commander' or 'Commander Noss'. Not even Aven would call him by his first name, choosing only the family name or 'bro'. Among his kin he was special: the last of the Pure Norvaliks. Among them, they were able to unleash their original form, increasing every strength they had across the board. From what the psychic understood, this special power used to be the norm for all Norvaliks. No one knows what happened to the Pures that made them all dissapear but, as the last one, the commander carried a great burden no one understood. It was his and his alone.

 _"Finally: the Magistrate, Quinlin Kard. You were my only friend in the earliest days after my arrival. You were a doctor though when I arrived. Funny how time changes us."_

Out of all the Norvaliks Nathaniel personally knew, Kard was the oldest, at a ripe age of... of... _"Gah, I hate Norvalik's system of aging. So confusing."_ Within seconds, Nathan had the Magistrate's age in Earth years: 389.

 _"Wow, that's old. He's got about sixty years left. I'll be attending that funeral... hopefully."_

With his old age came knowledge and wisdom that the psychic greatly admired. Before Kard's Federation days, he was young scholar within the Supernatural Ring, a group of magic-wielding indiviuals. His specialty was life manipulation: able to bolster, drain, control, and/or direct the lifeforce of all living things. However, when the Tribunal rebelled and a ban on all magic was enforced throughout the galaxy. It caused many people like Kard to either rebel against the Federation or change professions.

Because he was Norvalik, like most of the Federation, and being the life manipulator he was, Kard decided to stay with his people and enter the field of medicine and biogenetics. It was at this time the psychic arrived on Voklin. When the officers aboard the Fatesealer were deciding what to do with the new arrival, Kard personally took charge over the psychic and taught him many things, even the truth about the Federation. He explained all, and it built a level of trust that only Terin possessed with the psychic.

 _"There're more people to be sure but, these were the people I knew best. These were the heads I watched guide the Federation throughtout my entire stay there. They're not bad people."_

Nathaniel flared up his psychic aura and his irises too flared the same shade of purple. He began searching for his friends via telepathy, sending his thoughts in each of the eight general directions, not wanting to exhaust himself from a simultaneous 360 search. At last he found them north of his location, pulling farther and farther away. Nathaniel smiled inside, a normal one with just a hint of slyness hidden within.

" _Okay then, bring it._ " With that, Nathaniel darted off toward them, planning to easily overtake them.

 _ **R &C**_

"I called you here because one of your number has failed to bring me any of their heads," The commander spoke, momentarily pausing, allowing his words to instill themselves into the two agents. Seeing that each understood, he continued, "He's dead now. We don't take failures lightly."

"What are the status of the four at this moment then?" An agent ventured.

"Five, Valis."

"Five?" Valis inquired, sharing a look with the other agent.

"I can assure you that the fifth member is of little consequence."

"Then who is it?" Valis again inquired.

"The daughter of famed explorer Max Apogee. As of now she holds a post in the Polaris Defense Force as captain: Talwyn Apogee."

"Understood."

"If the four, plus Talwyn, are journeying together for Travel The Days, are we not now hopelessly outmatched?" The other agent spoke up.

"While together makes it annoying Kisma, no, we're not outmatched."

The commanded swiveled in his chair toward Valis and started, "You said earlier that you brought another agent here to help."

"I did."

"Get-"

"-no need. I heard everything from the door." The agents turned to see a figure in red enter the room, leaving the door to close itself. He stopped in between Valis and Kisma, nodding to the commander.

"So... Dornavan," the commander began, "Valis here says you could be of use. I took his word for it and here you are."

"I'm grateful."

The sarcasm was not lost on the commander as he continued, choosing still to brush it aside. "And you're working for free, just as long as you get a chance against the psychic, I was told."

Dornavan nodded.

"Are you ready to fight the psychic?"

"Not now, I would have to prepare first."

"Well then, you'll have to do something else then. But first," the commander stood up out of his chair and walked around his desk. "I want the three of you to follow me."

He cut a path for the door, leaving his office with the three agents in tow. They proceeded across the bridge, a grand room where various troops worked at their stations. A few soldiers and officers of rank saluted to the commander as he passed. Grunting a greeting as he passed, the others went about their work again. Passing the bridge, they made their way through several hallways until coming an open door. The four of them walked inside, entering a cozy-sized lab.

"Dr. Yolnan! Are you in here?" The commander called out.

"Just a mome-" BOOM! The doctor began before getting cut off by an explosion, sprawling him across the lab, impacting the far wall next to where the four were waiting for him. Valis blinked as if he were bored, asking in the same level of monotone, "Is he okay?"

"He's got a thick skull," the commander responded, evenly unimpressed.

Standing up, Dr. Yolnan rubbed his head and looked around, dazed. "You're here for the bands, aren't you?"

"Of course."

"Wait here."

With that, Dr. Yolnan sped over to a desk and opened a drawer. Rummaging though it, he seemed to not find what he was looking for because he opened another drawer.

"Where is that blasted remote?" Yolnan demanded of himself, frantically searching around the lab. The other four began glancing about the room, hoping to spot the item in question.

"Found it," Dornavan announced to all, pointing to an island countertop with papers strewn over it. Dr. Yolnan moved toward it, grabbed the remote and pressed a button. It opened a panel in the wall. Out of the panel came a board with four headbands hanging from their respective hooks. Dr. Yolnan looked around for where the panel was when Kisma pointed to the spot behind him.

"Ahhh... Everyone, I present to you: Psych-Bands. With these you will be able to mimic psychic powers such as: Telepathy, Telekinesis, Mind Control, Clairvoyance, Psionic Blasts etc."

They made their way over to the panel where the bands rested.

"Sweet gadgets doc," Valis asserted, taking one off the wall and inspecting it. It was a sleek platinum color with a thin violet line encircling it. A small glass dome on the front gave off a blue light as Valis turned it on. Grabbing the other three bands, the commander gave one to the other agents and put the last one on himself.

"Valis, Kisma, take these and whatever forces you believe you'll need and go after the five. They just passed the northern border of Polaris and are making their way through Raynarn as we speak."

"Do we know where they're headed?" Dornavan inquired, turning on his band, but choosing not to where it.

"We don't. But we're keeping an eye on them. They will not succeed in their journey." Continuing, he commanded Valis and Kisma to leave immeadiately. They nodded and left the lab.

"What about me, sir? You said you wanted me to do something?"

"Since you are not ready to face the psychic, and you obviously don't want your Psych-Band," the commander gave a hard look at the circlet in Dornavan's hand, "I want you to stay out of it. However, go with them and head for Planet Alnek. From there, I'll give you further instructions."

"Okay then, I'll take my leave." Dornavan said, giving the commander a salute to which was returned. With that, Dornavan left the lab too and began searching for Valis and Kisma. The commander then turned to Dr. Yolnan. "What about that 'suit' I commissioned from you Doctor?"

"Almost ready, getting the quantum energy to fit your needs has been a hassle."

"Can I see it?"

"Of course."

Pressing another button on the remote, a full wall panel opened up, revealing a white, baggy, astronaut suit. On its back was a large quantum energy tank with an attached hose. The other end of the hose was attached to a heavy gun.

"Behold, your very own chrono-suit, or as I call it: The Aeon Remover."

A good minute or two passed as the commander inspected it.

"I take it you're impressed sir," Dr. Yolnan ventured, seeing the commander give a rare smile at the suit.

"I am. You haven't failed me yet. When do you expect to finish it?"

"Midday tomorrow."

"I want to see it then. Is this understood?"

"It is sir."

"Alright... I'll leave you to your work."

The commander, pivoting his heel, one-eighted and made his way out of the lab, all the while Dr. Yolnan began working on the finishing touches to the "Aeon Remover".

* * *

 **AN: (7-14-17) Edited.**


	9. Second Round

An energy stream rushed by the heroes-a purple energy stream. Activating his nav-unit, Terin spoke to the others. "Well, guess who caught up."

" _You've got that right._ "

Slowing down, Nathan allowed the others to catch up to him before continuing alongside them.

"So, you cooled down, huh?" Ratchet asked.

" _Oh yeah, I'm fine. So what were you guys talking about while I was gone._ "

"Well, we just finished a debate on how long it will take for you to get back."

" _Any bets placed?_ "

"We had just finished that when you arrived."

" _No one's poorer then, huh?_ "

"Nope."

" _Darn it._ "

Laughter rang out, reddening the psychic, " _Ha ha, very funny. I bet none of you would be laughing right now if you had lost some bolts._ "

"Good thing that didn't happen then," Terin replied confidently.

"If you guys are done having your fun, listen to this," Talwyn said, turning all attention toward her, "I've just received word that the 'mysterious assailant' you guys captured was killed hours ago while inside of his cell."

" _What?!_ "

"The cause is unclear, but its speculated to be poison."

"That's crazy!" Ratchet said.

"Unbelieveable. Nate, when you read his thoughts, what did you read exactly?" Terin inquired.

" _Well, the guy is a mercenary. Part of some group called Dark X. Apparently, two other agents got called in from the same group to work alongside these people. All got paid handsomely too._ "

"Do you know who are the people that hired them?" Talwyn asked.

" _Not really. There was contact, but nothing that would be useful. Like the other agents, they just did what they were told for bolts._ "

"Do they know what we are doing?" Clank asked

" _Ratchet, tell Clank 'to a certain extent, yes',_ " the psychic communicated to the aforementioned lombax. A brief moment later and Clank's voice came over the nav-feed.

"If there are others who know of the artifact's existence then we are all in danger." "I agree. Afterburners everyone, I believe time is no longer on our side," commanded Terin.

Everyone activated their respective boosters and blasted through space, however, it appeared that someone was monitoring them.

 _ **R &C**_

"They know. They've acivated their boosters, Valis. What are your orders?" A trooper requested, looking over a radar map, showing five blips quickly making its way across the screen.

"Send in the 'wings'. I want them dead," Valis commanded.

"Yes sir," he replied before flipping a few switches activating the PA system, "All pilots, prep your ships for battle. I repeat, prep your ships for battle."

The flight deck became a bussle of activity as various techs ran to fighters, checking over ships' fuel tanks, propulsion systems, weapons, and other utilities. Pilots hopped in their ships and fired up the engines, the roar a clamour of noise.

"Wave one pilots, you are free to launch," the trooper announced. Instantly, fighter ships exited the bay and headed off toward the heroes.

Meanwhile, Valis had turned away, walking out of the bridge and into a hallway. Quickly locating the door he was looking for, Valis walked in where the agent came across weapons he would need. An arm mounted blaster cannon, a metal rod which multi-purposes into several energy based equipment whether it be weapon or tool. His battle armor: a full black suit with white lines running across it. It was made from an unknown metal alloy, impervious to most conventional damage. Activating it, the suit opened, allowing Valis to step in. After sealing itself, Valis attached the arm cannon to the suit and grabbed the rod. Leaving the room behind, Valis encountered Kisma making her way to the bridge.

Taking an assessment of his partner's choice of combat gear, Valis noticed that she carried Duel Omniblasters in each hand and had a rather large rocket launcher. Her choice of armor was very much similar to himself but it was a mainly a white and blue suit along with two attached Mag-Net Launchers.

"Good selection," Valis commented, following the other agent to the bridge.

"It's necessary," she replied. Taking in the sight of the firefight, Kisma barked out an order. "Sarge, what is going on out there?!"

"We're suffering heavy losses ma'am. Wave One is almost gone, Wave Two is taking a heavy losses and Wave Three has just been sent out."

"What about the five?" Valis demanded. "There's no way they can still be okay."

"They still are sir."

Cursing, Valis stormed off, leaving Kisma to direct the situation. One that was quickly falling apart.

 _ **R &C**_

"Oh yeah," Ratchet whooped after nailing three enemy fighters with Aphelion's "Swarm Rockets".

"Good job Ratchet," the tiny Zoni robot said, congratulating the lombax's success so far.

"Thanks pal."

" _Heeeyyy, I've got ships nearing me, what happened to my defense team?_ " Nathaniel transmitted, vanishing as an enemy fighter passed through where he had been standing.

"Quit worrying, you big baby," Zenith told the reappearing psychic as the lombax ship shot down the fighter.

" _You're the big baby,_ " Nathan replied.

"That's enough you two," Terin cut in angrily. Looking around, he noticed Talwyn in a bothersome situation.

"Hey Tal, you need my help?"

"Sure."

"On my way."

While Terin and Zenith darted off to assist Talwyn, Nathaniel got into contact with the other lombax. " _Hey Ratchet._ "

"Yeah Nate, what's up?" Ratchet inquired.

" _There are about twenty fighters left, than you guys will have to fight about thirty more. That's gives you about fifty left._ "

"What are you getting at?"

" _I'm going to make a run for the flagship and try to take it out from the inside._ "

"Okay then, but be careful, they'll obviously be-" However, Nathan didn't stick around to hear what Ratchet was going to say. He was already long gone.

"-ready. Huh, when will he ever listen?" Ratchet sighed, shaking his head in dissapointment. Clank looked up at his friend. Although he didn't know what Nathaniel said, he was confident that he understood the gist of the conversation to offer this, all the while suppressing a laugh. "It reminds me of someone I once knew."

"Who are you... ahhhh," Ratchet said, before returning a knowing look to Clank who now could no longer hide his laughter.

 _ **R &C**_

" _Speeding toward the flagship, easy. Avoiding the laser fire, also easy. Finding a way in... good luck with that one Nate._ " The psychic thought, standing on top of the agents' cruiser. A quick sweep revealed a few access points, but those were heavily guarded. (Not that it posed a problem) He left the hangar for Ratchet and the others for their arrival. That left Nathan to look for... **SHOOM**! A laser beam barely missed the psychic, who'd sensed it coming a second sooner and moved to the left, out of its way. Seeing out of his peripheral, Nathan saw a fully armored opponent. Male, from the looks of it. His right arm was raised. An arm cannon was attached to it, currently smoking.

"You'll have to be faster than that if you want to hit me," Nathan began, giving his opponent a small smirk. "Of course, we both know that that can't happen."

"I'm no fool," the mystery foe replied. Retracting his helmet, he gave a small bow and introduced himself, a calm yet severe tone present, "The name is Valis, professional bounty hunter, at your service."

Menacing.

That was a good word to describe this 'bounty hunter'. A dark green, squareish face with three small, white horns jutting out Valis' head. His irises were the color of bloodied crimson. A pointed nose gave his face a more frightening appearence. His mouth, currently holding a neutral expression, showed two jagged fangs.

Nathaniel knew his kind: Ivarc.

They had a small colony in Voklin but their native world was in a distant galaxy. They were known for several things, most notably, their incredible skills in nearly all manners of warfare. Their combat prowess is the stuff of both fear and inspiration. Flight was also a natural occurence among their kind, this greatly agitated Nathan. Plus, they were renowned for their speed, a feat he had seen for himself. All of this was unnerving, however, he kept himself collected.

"Do you know me? Or should I go ahead and introduce myself?" The psychic offered, purple mist slowly fading in around his head.

"I do, but it never hurts to be re-introduced." Valis smiled. Nathaniel slightly twitched in annoyance. "So, you and your friend really were hearing us."

"Every word. And its not just 'friend', it's 'friends'."

"Good, I was afraid this party was going to end with you."

"Believe me, this 'party', as you call it, is just getting started."

"Alright, whenever you're ready, just say the word." Nathan reached behind his head and pulled his hood up over his face. After that, he dropped into his 'fighting' stance: Arms slightly bent back, hands at his sides, psychic energy crackling between his fingertips, legs bent at the knee, and his hood obscuring part of his face. A fierce, crackling aura resonated from Nathaniel as he slipped into Psiwalk, taking on all it had to offer. Both his hair and irises took on a purple hue. Tendrils of mist gathered around his head as a purple halo was formed. Hovering into the air, Nathan bent over as if containing the energy. Suddenly, he released it in a blinding light which blanketed the entire area in a bright violet glow.

 _ **R &C**_

"What was that?" Ratchet asked over the nav-unit when the light had dissipated.

"Nathaniel. I'd say he's finally gone Psiwalk. Full Psiwalk." Terin responded. "Hate to be the fool who challenged him."

"Is he that powerful?" Talwyn inquired, a worried tone present.

"He is that powerful," the lombax answered, "Now come on, we don't want to miss the show do we?"

With that Terin sped off to the flagship with Ratchet, Clank and Talwyn right behind him, leaving their old, battered battlefield in their dust.

 _ **R &C**_

" **SHOOM!** "

" **TING TING!** "

" **WHOOSH!** "

" **BOOM!** "

Valis avoided the bomb attack Nathaniel sent his way, resulting in a large explosion that downed the cruiser's shield system. A static noise went off near the bounty hunter's left ear. Quickly pressing the com-link, Valis hissed "What?" in annoyance as he narrowly avoided a psychic sword swing from Nathan.

"Valis, what are you doing?" Kisma demanded, an angry tone that Nathan picked up.

"I'm taking care of the psychic. You should be preparing for the other four's arrival," he spat, blasting Nathan with his laser cannon. The psychic returned with a cannon of his own. Placing his hands in front of himself, Nathan quickly gathered his mental power into a sphere and forced the excess energy to pour out forward, blocking the incoming laser beam. The two offensive blows met, pushing against each other over on Nathaniel's side of the ship. Redoubling his effort, the psychic was easily able to repel the beam back to bounty hunter.

Seeing the incoming torrent of power, Valis somersaulted to the side, only to meet Nathan where he stood back up. A fist slammed into the Ivarc's face, sending him sprawling backwards, skidding across the hull.

"Yes, I can fight you without my psychic attacks, although I will admit, I do enjoy them." Nathan taunted, lifting himself into the air.

Wiping his face, Valis looked up at Nathan. He stared back smugly, arms crossed, waiting for the next move.

"Two can play at that game." he muttered, taking to the sky, fist cocked back, ready to strike... hard. However, the instant before he struck, Valis' attack passed through Nathan as if he was never there. Looking around, his guard up, Valis yelled for the coward to come out and fight him.

" _You actually have a code. Here I am thinking you were going to underhand the whole fight, silly me._ " Nathaniel thought, broadcasting it to Valis before appearing several cubits in front of the bounty hunter.

"If you want to play the 'Speed Game', just tell me."

"Okay then," the psychic said, "Drop your laser shooter and your whip, and I won't use my psychic powers. Just good old fashioned melee, deal?"

"Deal," agreed Valis. Dropping his weapon rod, he removed the cannon and put his helmet back on.

"I'm ready," the Ivarc affirmed, his voice lowering in sound, fitting for someone looking to kill.

"Ding."

They rushed each other only to have each other feint their punch, passing by each other. Swinging his leg round, Valis attempted to kick Nathan. However, the psychic blocked with his arm mitigating the force behind it, sending him sideways a few cubits left.

"You're too easy to anticipate," Nathan mocked, making a quick dash for a jab at Valis who easily sidestepped it, throwing a jab of his own.

"You're too weak to damage me without your psychic powers," Valis countered, attempting to ram his knee into Nathan's gut. An attack that was easily blocked.

"It seems that we could be at an impasse," Nathan suggested, throwing a timed strike into Valis' abdomen, causing minimal damage to the Ivarc.

"Not exactly," Valis replied, disappearing behind the psychic, ramming an elbow into the base of Nate's neck. The attack hit spot on, sending Nathan soaring downward with enough force to crash straight through the ship. Dazed, Nathan tried to stand up, only to fall back down, coughing heavily, spewing out spittle and other liquids.

"Shiz, that was fast, my brain feels like a pancake now."

Before Nathan could get back up, his head was slammed into the floor, making a dent into it.

"Well, that was easy. Though I'm surprised you're still conscious." Valis remarked, pressing his right boot on Nathan's head. Seeing that Nathan was no longer struggling, Valis moved his boot away and took a few steps back.

"I know you're awake, now get up. Before I really do put you to sleep… for good." commanded the bounty hunter. Still, Nathan layed on the floor, unmoving. Taking cautionary steps forward, Valis eventually got beside the psychic and flipped him over with his boot.

" _He might actually be down_ ," Valis thought, retracting his helmet and pressing the com-link, contacting Kisma.

"What is it Valis?" She growled.

"I've captured the psychic, how are things on your end?" He casually inquired, looking at the psychic's gash on his forehead that ran down the side of his left cheek. It was oozing blood. Valis gave himself a silent smile in satisfaction.

"The four are a problem. Get over here, NOW!"

"On my way."

Valis sped off, leaving the psychic behind… only he wasn't unconscious.

"That... ugh." Nathan groaned, trying to sit up. Succeeding, Nathan reached a hand to his head where he felt something warm there.

Blood.

His blood.

Sighing, he raised an arm and wiped himself clean with his sleeve, leaving a dark stain on his gray hoodie shirt. Afterward, he stitched the wound together, wincing the entire ordeal.

" _It's been a while since I felt physical pain. I'm going to have to ask Terin to start honing my skills again_ ," the psychic thought, attempting to stand up. Looking back at the stain on his sleeve, Nathaniel shook his head, dissapointed in himself.

" _He's just too fast at Psiwalk, heh, who would've thought that?_ " A knowing smile snuck its way onto Nathan. " _Well, I guess it's Ultimate for Valis. He should feel lucky. That's a privilege few ever get to see._ "

Yet a lone thought crept into his mind as he walked off into the direction where Valis had gone.

" _What if that fails?_ "

* * *

 **AN: (7-14-17) Edited.**


	10. Downed

Terin, Talwyn, along with Ratchet and Clank, eased their ships into the hangar where they were waited by three squadrons of soldiers. One of them came forth with a megaphone and spoke into it. "Come out with your hands up."

"Ratchet, Talwyn, on my signal, get out of your ships and help me with the 'cleanup'," Terin said, looking over his ship's console for a certain button. Ratchet and Talwyn replied positively.

"I repeat, come out with your hands up!" The soldier commanded again, louder this time.

"Zenith, mini ejection please," Terin said simply, taking his Praetorian Omniwrench off his back.

"Will do," the lombax ship obeyed, opening his canopy. He launched Terin out of the cockpit. The ex-guard extended his wrench as he reached the apex of his jump, activating his hoverboots, slowing his descent.

"Open fire," the soldier commanded.

Each man aimed their blaster at Terin and unleashed a hail of laser fire. Rotating his wrench in a continuous 3600, Terin was able to reflect the oncoming shots.

"Now!" Terin commanded, sweeping a trooper when he landed, promptly disarming him.

The others exited their ships, armed, and leapt into the fray alongside Terin.

"You know that trick too, huh?" Ratchet yelled over the noise, shooting three enemies with the Constructo Pistol.

"Everyone in the guard does Ratchet," Terin yelled back. Speeding away, the lombax directed the crowd's attention to him, allowing Ratchet some breathing room.

Meanwhile, Clank was using his Whirlwind Throwtie, slicing the enemies' blasters with perfect precision while Talwyn took out the now disarmed soldiers. When they took care of their share they joined up with Ratchet who had just forced a surrender from three of their number. However, the bulk of the troops had gone after Terin and had now trapped him in a circle. Their blasters trained and at the ready.

"Tal, I've got them, go help Terin," The golden-furred lombax ordered, keeping his pistol trained on them.

"No need for the assisstance Tal, however, you all can watch as I take them on." Terin called, eyeing the nine who had surrounded him.

"You alone vs nine of us," someone behind Terin said in disbelief. Facing the man, Terin held his ready position and made eye contact. "Of course."

The lombax moved first, soaring into the air with his hoverboots until he was several cubits above them. The nine soldiers opened fire only to have their fire reflected by the lombax. The men soon had empty blasters and when he saw this, Terin cut off the hoverboots, falling quickly to the ground. Before impact, Terin moved his thumb across the handle, over a small pressure plate. This dislodged the wrench blades turning the wrench into a double-sided flail (The chains themselves were comprised of a certain type of energy). Rotating the wrench above his head, Terin managed to nail six out of nine rendering those hit on the floor unconscious. The last three however, stood in fear of the lombax and dared not moved.

"Drop the blasters." he ordered, moving his thumb back across the plate, retracting the wrench heads. They complied without hesitation and put their hands up. Terin then directed them over to where his friends had the other three, disarmed and in cuffs.

"Here are some more men, bind them," the silver lombax commanded. Turning to the markazian, "Talwyn, follow me, we're going to go find Nathan."

"Oh, that won't be necessary." A feminine voice called out, prompting the four to turn toward the source. They found it walking toward them on a platform several cubits above their heads. The agent, Kisma, wore a white suit with blue streaks. She carried two Omniblasters and had miniature Mag-Net Launchers attached to the suit. Although they couldn't identify the weapon, the four knew she carried a sort of rocket launcher attached to the back of the suit.

"What do you mean?" Terin demanded of the new arrival.

"My colleague is taking care of him. You'll never see the psychic again." she responded. Turning, Kisma jumped off the platform in a front flip motion, landing gracefully on the floor below.

"Right. Nathaniel is going to own circles around…'your colleague'," Terin stated, air-quoting the last part, obviously unimpressed. "Now drop your weapons and come quietly."

A electric field from the arm-mounted Mag-Net Launcher was the lombax's reply as he and the others avoided the attack. Talwyn and Ratchet took aim at the agent and emptied a few rounds, only to have her avoid them with relative ease. Clank's bowties were of little use either. Just like the "mysterious assailant" from some time ago, the armor these agents wore were made of incredibly tough material, greatly mitigating the damage dealt.

"Terin, keep her busy, I'm going to get some heavier firepower," Ratchet called out, rushing over to Aphelion; Talwyn followed him while Clank searched inside himself for a suitable weapon.

Looking at his foe, Terin began side-stepping, circling the agent in front of him. Moving his wrench out in front of him, the lombax dashed toward his opponent. Kisma let Terin get closer before grabbing the praetorian blade, stopping the lombax in his tracks.

"The suit augments your strength," said lombax growled. Rubbing his thumb on another plate, ejecting the held blade head from the wrench, knocking Kisma across the hangar and into a wall. Retracting the head, Terin again ran toward his opponent, hoping for a quick defeat as she was busy regaining her bearings. What the lombax did not expect however, was an early recovery, and two pistol aimed for his accelerating form. Quickly rotating his wrench, Terin easily blocked the bullets that came toward him; but he was forced to take a stance and hold it.

"No one in history has gotten through the Praetorian Shield, just give it up. I alone am more than a match for you," the ex-guard called out to his opponent, hoping to get inside her head.

Dropping her blaster weapons, Kisma instead launched two Mag-Nets that Terin easily avoided. A static noise went off from on the agent's helmet, prompting Kisma to activate the com-link on the side of her helmet.

"What is it Valis?" she growled, blocking a wrench swing from Terin. He stepped back, picking up what was said on the other end… although he couldn't believe it.

"I've captured the psychic, how are things on your end?" the man had asked.

" _He... captured Nathaniel… impossible?!_ " Terin thought, utterly shocked, " _If that's true we're in trouble._ "

"The four are a problem. Get over here, NOW!" Kisma had told the other person, yelling that last command.

"On my way." the other person said before the connection was broken.

Worried, Terin surprised Kisma with a rocket wrench blade… only for it to be caught by her. The lombax grit his teeth in anger and let go of the wrench as Kisma pulled the blade head forward sending the weapon to her.

"Ratchet, Clank, Talwyn, someone's coming. Get ready. I'll finish our 'hostess' here," Terin called back to the others, keeping his sight trained on his opponent.

"We read you Terin." Ratchet called back before running toward Aphelion, Talwyn and Clank following him.

"Alright, let's finish this shall we?" the lombax asked aloof, waiting for his opponent to make the first move. Throwing away the omniwrench, Kisma launched Mag-Nets again, distracting Terin so she could grab her blaster. They only had a few rounds in them. " _That's all I need anyway._ " Terin saw her grab the weapons and he hoverbooted toward his wrench, successively snatching it off the ground before being nailed by a mini hail of energy bullets. Terin was sent backward. Analyzing where he had been hit, he saw that his holo-armor had prevented good damage but he still felt a sting in his side.

" _She's got accuracy, I'll give her that. Though I doubt she has anything left… besides that heavy gun._ " the lombax discerned, standing back up. "I'll admit; you have a nice shot, hitting a speeding target like that." Terin said, noticing that she tossed aside the blasters. He continued, "But I can see your out of ammo... and your Mag-Nets have proved futile thus far." There was no response from the agent.

"How do you think you would fare in a melee against me?" Terin finally asked, holding his wrench in the customary manner for combat: behind one's back, body leaning forward, wrench slanted and following the same angle as yourself, and finally, your wielding hand gripping the handle a cubit nearest the blade head closet to the ground.

"She wouldn't fare all too well; hand-to-hand is more up my alley," A resonant voice announced itself, causing everyone in the room to look up toward the platform Kisma had once occupied.

"It's about time you got here. I thought your kind were quick Valis," Kisma started, agitated.

"I was always here, I was simply watching you get yourself handed by a single unarmed lombax. Quite entertaining that was," Valis replied, chuckling darkly while lowering himself toward the ground.

Ivarc.

Terin was scared. There was no other word for it. He knew Ivarcs just like Nathan did. If this Ivarc had managed to defeat Nathaniel at Psiwalk, Terin knew they stood no chance against him, unless… Terin risked a quick glance at Clank who, like the others, were surprised by Valis' sudden appearance, especially at the fact that Valis was "always there" as he put it.

"Ugh, just take care of them would you?" Kisma commanded, angry at Valis' audacity to simply watch the fight.

"Sure thing," he replied in mock obedience before vanishing. Shaking out of his fear, Terin yelled to the others, "Clank, Zo…" His cry was cut short by a knee rammed into his stomach, knocking him out cold. Next, Valis appeared in front of Ratchet who swung his wrench at Valis, only to have the lombax swing right through air as an elbow came crashing down right on the back of Ratchet's head, sending him across the hangar floor, slamming hard against the wall. He too was out cold.

"Two down, two to go." Valis muttered, grinning at his handiwork. He sped toward Clank, appearing instantly before the tiny Zoni as he did to the others. However, before he could utterly crush the small robot before him, Valis was hit with a strange, blue energy orb. It expanded around him, trapping the agent inside a time bubble. Slowly looking over, Valis saw Talwyn holding the Zoni Blaster. Immeadiately, Clank moved in, revealing a black umbrella with which he proceeded to smack the Ivarc upside his head. At the point of contact, an electric jolt coursed through Valis. He yelled against the pain. However, Clank knew that the Zoni Blaster didn't last forever. He dropped his Lightning Rod and pulled out the Tanglvine Carnation.

Holding the budded plant tight in his grasp, Clank would have to time this right. As soon as the bubble faded out, the plant would have to be in position to erupt and eat Valis. However, a wrench was thrown in his plan as he heard his name called from behind.

It was Talwyn.

Clank turned around and saw her dodge an incoming mag-net acrobatically. He watched Talwyn then fire ammo from her Combuster.

"Do you need my help, Miss Apogee?" Clank called out, reaching inside for more Whirlwind Throwties. He knew they'd be useless, but he'd need only a distraction.

"No... no. I've got this, get your mark."

Clank didn't bother to reply; he knew he waited enough. He flung the carnivorous plant at the ceasing time bubble. The plant missed its mark and the Zoni could only watch as Valis instantly vanished from the fading bubble. Alarmed, Clank looked around, bending over slowly, reaching for his Lightning Rod while three throwties rested in his other hand.

A sudden yelp caught Clank's attention and he reared toward the noise. Valis stood next to Kisma and in front of them was a time bubble with a captive markazian. Without further thought, Clank whipped his hand out, launching all three throwties. A casual hand raise, armed with the Zoni Blaster stopped the ties for all that they would be worth. Annoyance flashed across the Zoni's features as he took off running toward the two agents.

It was up to him now. Clank just didn't know what to do.

 _ **R &C**_

From behind, the door looked purple. It only lasted for a moment before it suddenly blew apart and a hunched psychic hobbled in.

" _Foolish_ ," he thought as he scanned the room. He didn't read the Ivarc's mind fully, but Nathaniel knew of a special gadget that Valis and Kisma brought with them. Before hand, they decided to not use it on account of himself being present at the fight. That would be a mistake they would pay for dearly. Nathaniel smiled as he found a safe resting on a table. He straightened himself out before walking over to it. While okay, Nathaniel wasn't anywhere near a hundred percent. The faceplant he received from Valis made him angry. Not only at the Ivarc, but mostly with himself; he was just far too cocky.

" _Looks like we all made mistakes_ ," the psychic thought as he opened the safe door. The handle jiggled, but nothing else occured. Exhaling, Nathaniel's irises became purple once again and a foggy mist formed around his hand. Tightening his grip on the handle, Nathaniel yanked, and off came not only the handle but the entire door. He dropped the handle and the door fell to the floor with a crash. Irises receding, the psychic reached in the safe and pulled out two platinum colored circlets.

A smile quickly devolved into a smirk as he placed the two Psych-Bands in his hood. He turned away from the safe, quickly sweeping the ship via telepathy, wondering how his friends were holding up. The state of the team snapped at him. He couldn't know about Clank, but Nathan wouldn't say he was okay. Shaking his head vigorously, Nathaniel sped out of the room, heading straight for the hangar.

 _ **R &C**_

Clank was marginally, just marginally, more annoying than the others. And only because the Zoni had a ready lightning bolt to use. The first bolt hurt plenty and the second one likewise. But within a matter of seconds, Kisma caught him in her mag-nets and that was the end of it. Ripping the Lightning Rod from the robot's grasp, Valis returned the favor, knocking Clank out cold.

"Are you okay?" Kisma asked, lifting her gaze from the robot on the floor to her partner.

"I will be," Valis returned, looking over his armor. Once confirmed that its integrity was intact, he added, "Let's round them up and-"

"-THEN!"

Both agents jumped at the furious sound. Above them, they looked to see a fuming psychic, rage overtaking his features as he unveiled his Psiwalk power as before. When he finished, Nathaniel jumped off the railing and landed, pausing in the air milicubits before impact. Completed, he gave them both a death glare and finished his statement. "There was one! Me!"

"I thought you said you've captured him!" Kisma turned on her partner, ridden with shock and anger. Valis however, made no sign to show if had heard Kisma or not. Instead, he just looked toward the psychic with a triumphant look.

"I'm glad you made it," the bounty hunter started. "Are you ready for round two?"

He cracked his knuckles, trying to gain an edge over the psychic. However, Nathan stood before them both with an unamused face.

"Look around you. What do you see?" Nathaniel asked, his psychic aura flaring around him, arcs of psychic energy jumped about him. Chuckling darkly, Valis gazed around the hangar, taking the sights of the two downed lombaxes, a downed markazian, and a downed Zoni robot lying at his feet. "I see your pathetic excuse for a team."

"Wrong. I see restraints. Restraints that can no longer hold me back," Nathaniel stated coldly, the fearful edge returning to his voice, making Valis' look falter slightly and Kisma hide behind the Ivarc.

"Kisma, I'll distract him, get the Psych-Bands," Valis whispered, staring intently at the psychic.

"You mean these?" Nathan asked, pulling out two platinum colored circlets out from his hood. Both villains felt their jaws slack in surprise. Then that same surprise... it turned into fear.

"Yes Valis, I am ready for round two, but first," Nathan began as he again hunched over, gathering within himself more psychic power. "I'm going Ultimate. If you don't match me. Cubit for cubit. You will die. And I will enjoy it."

Raising his head, Nathaniel sent one last hateful look toward them before unleashing his power. The entire flagship quaked beneath the diffused power. Beams of purple shot forth from Nathan which illuminated the area surrounding the cruiser. All who looked upon the light would swear it was as bright as any sun. Eventually, an ear splitting roar came forth from the psychic's mind as it reverberated across the ship. The halo surrounding Nathan's head had morphed itself into a small crown and fixed itself onto his head. Suddenly, the floor began giving way, sheets of metal were bent upward and flattened as soon as it was no longer attached. Finally, in one big, terrific gesture, the transformation had subsided and in its place was the psychic known as Nathaniel.

Valis stood petrified during the ordeal, but seeing Nathaniel with his new power, it brought him back to reality. He struck a stance, motioning for Nathan to make the first blow.

" _I like your enthusiasm_ ," Nathan publicly broadcasted, " _But I know you will die here. It is only inevitable._ "

"We shall see," Valis countered, teeth bared, holding level his own death stare at the psychic. Nathan wasted no time in starting the match again.

"Ding!"

* * *

 **AN: (7-29-17) Edited.**


	11. Ultimate Psiwalk

They rushed each other with speeds unable to be seen by anyone. Only the brief flashes of purple and the occasional fighter knocked into walls were any indicator of the duel the bounty hunter and psychic fought. An intensive "BOOM" sounded and Kisma saw Nathaniel careening through layer upon layer of walls. Valis wasted no time getting back into the fight. He furiously flew toward Nathan only to meet a large sphere of mental energy hurdling his way. Raising his arms in defense, Valis took the ball of power, exploding a massive hole around the two which shook the ship down to its core.

Nathaniel flew through the smoke and layed a full-blown punch on Valis' face, sending him back through the hangar and into space. Nathan wouldn't allow his opponent to recover from that and dashed off toward the Ivarc. Valis, now out of the ship's gravity field, activated the jets built into the armor's boots and flew away. But when compared to the psychic's speed, Valis was soon caught up to, allowing Nathaniel to ram fist after fist in a whirlwind of blows on the Ivarc. The final punch in the series, imbued with an extraordinary amount of psychic energy, sent Valis away, impacting through an asteroid, coming out the other side, then crashing onto the surface of another, forming a crater.

He got up and rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding a psychic cannon heading his way. It completely obliterated the rock, forcing Valis jet boot his way toward another one. Landing on it, Valis was immediately confronted by the psychic, who landed right in front of him. While Valis was mainly okay, Nathaniel didn't have a wound on him. However, Valis knew that all of the psychic's injuries were dealt to his mind. It would be a matter of time before he collapsed. Valis just had to stall.

"I'm impressed. You've matched me so far," Nathaniel said in awe. "However, this is where your life comes to a close."

"Your mistaken," Valis corrected. "I still have more winds left in me."

"Then watch as I scatter those 'winds'."

Nathaniel vanished, only for Valis to do the same and ram a fist into the psychic's stomach. The psychic doubled over from the pain, coughing up spit, stomach fluids, and blood. The fresh, ruby-red liquid sprayed over Valis' boot as the Ivarc gave himself a smile of satisfaction. Putting his hands on the rock beneath him, Nathaniel tried to pull himself together before he found himself flat against the asteroid, his face making an indent in the rock.

"Well well well, it seems I still have my 'winds'." Valis laughed maniacally, his bloodied boot pressing against the back of Nathan's head. "Although it seems _yours_ are scattering."

Nathaniel had enough. A muffled roar resonated before a swirl of psychic power erupted from the human's fallen shape. This power sent Valis sliding backwards before the asteroid was destroyed. Up-righting himself, Nathan stared down the Ivarc, a murderous look in his purple eyes. The fight continued again with a mad dash by the psychic and each side gave off multiple series of strikes, blocks, and counters. A powered punch from Nathaniel blocked by Valis' fist sent out shockwaves that sliced anything within radius. It was here that the fighters glared at each other, waiting for the other to make the next move.

Neither person moved a centicubit.

"I thought we were finishing this," Nathaniel angrily spoke.

"We are. It's your move," Valis defiantly countered.

"Done."

Nathaniel withdrew his blocked assault and simply floated there, contemplating. Valis looked on, holding a stance, ready for any of the psychic's tricks. In space, the psychic had the field-distance advantage. In close or approximate quarters, Valis could hold his own. A minute rolled by in uncomfortable silence as the weary combatants gathered their final energies, ready for the final stretch of the fight.

Valis rushed Nathaniel, fist ready for the strike, only to have the psychic avoid the incoming punch. He threw a quick jab into the Ivarc's side. Turning quickly, Valis raised his knee to block the attack. It succeeded... or so he thought. Before impact, Nathaniel opened his hand revealing a small purple sphere. It made contact with Valis in a concussive blast, knocking him far from where he had been. Disconcerted, Valis looked around, only to feel an intense pain on his back as he was sent downward. Before the bounty hunter got too far, he felt himself getting knocked in a different direction. This happened again and again until he was stopped mid-flight, grasped around the neck by the psychic. The Ivarc was now a broken mess: his suit was battered, busted and torn revealing his face and most of his upper body.

Coughing, Valis gave a small salute, then pointed to the psychic's head. Nathaniel looked at the finger with apprehension, unsure as to the Ivarc's wishes. Valis then tapped his head and pointed to Nathaniel. Now knowing that Valis wished to speak via telepathy, Nathaniel reached into the Ivarc's head. " _Well, you beat me. Fair and square._ " Nathaniel heard Valis think upon entering.

" _Of course fool, no one challenges me and lives to tell about it,_ " the psychic responded, cocking his fist back for the finishing blow.

" _If you could, however, do me a small favor?_ "

" _I'm listening._ "

" _I'd prefer to go out with a bang, not a run-in. Can you manage that?_ "

" _Odd request... but I accept._ "

" _Thank you,_ " Valis finished before losing consciousness.

Nathaniel let go of the Ivarc and brought his hands together, gathering intensive amounts of psychic power into a sphere. Giving a cocky grin, he released it, obliterating Valis completely.

" _At least you'll never feel death's release,_ " Nathaniel thought to himself.

Placing his hands on his knees, Nathaniel let out a huge sigh and dropped back down to Psiwalk. The crown from the Ultimate transformation faded away and his hair lost much of its bright purple locks. His irises faded back to a dimmer purple and his aura followed suit. Giving himself a small break, Nathaniel remembered what Valis told him about there being more of his allies. The thought was a grave one indeed. But they'll take care of that later. Right now, he needed to get back to the flagship and check on his friends. He turned around and shot a small pulse, sending him toward the ship. When he arrived, he found Kisma standing just as she was when he and Valis had left the ship—shocked and frightened.

Making his way toward her, Nathaniel, despite his exhaustion, spoke in an even tone, "Listen. Valis is dead... and you had a chance to do the same to my friends. You didn't. For that, I'm going to offer you a chance to go free, without consequences."

Kisma slowly nodded and asked for the terms.

"Simple. You tell your employer that they made the biggest mistake of their entire existence and to make further aggression against us will only bring a world of hurt upon them. Tell them to abandon their search for Travel The Days, otherwise, they will all suffer a fate worse than death." The psychic's eyes glowed purple for a split second, allowing the gravity of his words to sink in. "And tell them that I'll deliver. Now get out of here."

Kisma left without any debate, leaving Nathaniel to tend to his wounded allies. Coming to Clank, he took a quick look at the robot.

" _Painful electroshock; it shut down his systems. Wonder how that happened._ "

Running toward Talwyn, Nathan dropped down next to her and checked for a pulse.

" _She's breathing, phew._ "

That just left the two lombaxes—the ones who actually took a heavy hit from Valis. Nathan stood back up and made his way for Zenith.

"Zenith, pop the trunk will you?" Nathan asked.

No response.

"This isn't funny... you ju... y... you can't hear me, can you?"

Seeing that Zenith was still hovering above the ground; Nathan knew that Zenith was still on, he simply needed a reboot of his own. Walking over to the nose, the psychic popped opened a flap on the left side. Taking a look at it, Nathan saw that he had overloaded the energy capacitors, frying them.

" _Aphelion's probably the same way too. Talwyn's ship as well._ _G_ _ah!_ "

Walking over to the lombaxes, Nathaniel placed his hand on Terin's head and read a full injury report, several bruised ribs and damaged intestines.

" _He won't be waking anytime soon. How about Ratchet?_ "

The golden furred lombax was in no way better than the silver one.

" _A concussion... shiz. The spinal cord was nailed too... I can't tell how severe it is._ "

Nathaniel stood back up and walked back to the markazian. Kneeling down, the psychic placed a hand on Tal's shoulder and gently shook her.

"Hey, hey Talwyn, wake up." Nathaniel said, putting more effort into waking the unconscious markazian. Once she started stirring, Nathan stopped and stood back up.

"Nate," Talwyn said groggily. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it is. Listen, we're all in a spot of bother," the psychic returned, offering the fallen captain his hand. Grabbing it, Nathan pulled Talwyn up and she asked him what the problem was.

"Ratchet, Terin and Clank are down; our ships are down; and I'm almost down. Can you help me open Zenith's trunk?"

"Alright."

They walked to the back of Zenith where the two tried opening the trunk.

No avail.

"Follow me," Talwyn commanded, signaling Nathan to follow her, "I have a set of picks in my ship."

"Why would you have that?" Nathaniel inquired, sliding off the top of Zenith, landing on the ground before slipping on his back.

"You okay?" Tal asked, wincing as the psychic failed his landing.

"To be honest, no. I feel like crud. My brain has been pushed too far. I've suffered physical damage, nothing so serious but yeah, I'm just going to lie here a bit. Go get the picks."

"Okay."

The markazian pulled open her ship's hatch and opened the glove box, searching it until she found what she was looking for. Returning back to Zenith, Talwyn climbed the ship and began picking the trunk lock. A click noise was heard and she lifted the trunk open.

"What do I need to grab, nanotech?"

"Yeah, that and tools." Nathan replied wearily.

Rummaging through the group supplies, the markazian found the nanotech canisters and the toolbox.

"Uh Nate, a little help here."

Turning himself over, Nathan looked up and saw that Talwyn was having trouble getting down without having a canister break.

"Hang on, I'm coming."

Pushing himself up, Nathan unsteadily made his way up on his feet and walked over to where he could grab the canisters. He grabbed one and put it between his left arm and side while grabbing another one with his right hand, giving that one to his left. He took a third canister and made his way for the lombaxes. After closing the trunk, Talwyn grabbed the tools and slid off Terin's ship. She walked over to where Nate was and helped him pour the contents on the silver and golden lombaxes. The strange blue orbs went through their armor and seeped into their skin.

"Well, they should soon be fine. I would use more but... we've got to save what we have. The more times we stop to replenish our necessities, the more time we give our enemies to find Travel The Days."

"That reminds me, what happened here?" Talwyn asked the psychic, looking around the ruined landing bay.

"Beside what I told you, nothing much more. I killed Valis and sent Kisma away with a message to tell her employers."

"You killed Valis?"

"I did."

"How?"

"Simple, I was able to match him... 'cubit for cubit', and then worked around it."

Hearing how Nathan put it, Talwyn decided to take a different route.

"What did you tell Kisma then?"

"Ahh the usual. Your standard 'Cease and Desist' command for when you've displayed that you're in charge around here."

"Okay then."

"Would you know how to reactivate Clank? He seems to have shut down and I don't know how to turn him back on."

"I don't. But I could try."

"Alright, but be careful though." Nathan advised. Yawning, the psychic sat down and rested his head on the wall. "And while you're doing that, I'm going to take a little 'me-nap'."

"Oka... wait, what?"

Surprised, Talwyn quickly turned around and found the psychic lying on the floor, snoring.

"Nate?"

No response.

"Nate?"

Again, no response.

Dropping the toolbox, Talwyn stormed over to Nathaniel. Kneeling next to him, she violently started to shake him, yelling, "NATE, GET UP!"

"I'M SORRY I ATE YOUR COOKIES!" Jerking upward, the psychic looked around with a surprised, guilty look on his face. A hard slap directed his attention toward the markazian. She was standing, hands on her hips, looking down at him. Her expression was one of exasperation. Immediately, the psychic stood up, He looked down at the markazian, arms crossed, _his_ expression was a miffed one.

"Why did you slap me?" Nathan asked, indignant.

"You had the _nerve_ to… t… to _sleep_ when our friends are injured?!" Talwyn replied furiously.

"Look, I'm not going to complain about how I feel, but I need this, okay. These things happen when you have my type of powers."

"You can rest, but not right now. There are more important things to do."

"Fine."

Pivoting her heel, Talwyn turned from Nathaniel and walked back to the toolbox. Picking it up, she walked over to where Clank lay. Nathaniel soon arrived, taking his spot behind the markazian. As Talwyn went to see what was wrong with Clank, a stray bolt of lighting jumped from Clank and zapped the markazian's hand. A small, high pitched cry cut through the air as she pulled back from Clank quickly.

"Are you okay?" Nathan inquired, looking over the captain's shoulder, seeing if he could see where she had gotten zapped.

"I'm fine, it's just a mild sting." Talwyn asserted, risking a glance at her glove. It was singed, showing her index finger which was slightly red.

"Are you sure you're okay?" The psychic ventured again, seeing the slightly burned skin.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What was that though?"

"Should I state the obvious?"

Rolling her eyes, she tentatively reached for Clank again, only to have the lightning attack her again.

"Oww!" Talwyn exclaimed, pulling away again.

"Whoa, the lightning was purple," Nathan stated, a goofy smile plastered on his face.

"Well, duh," Talwyn said irritably, wiggling her hand.

"You can take a break if you want; I think I know what's wrong with Clank now."

"Oh, really then. What?"

"Clank is fine. However, for some strange reason, my psychic powers are in his system, preventing a reboot. I'll have to draw the power out of him."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Not exactly, but assuming that you were attacked twice, the same magnitude each time, I can only assume that there is good amount of energy still in him."

"How would you get it out?"

"Just watch."

Nathan reached for the small robot's head when suddenly, he pulled away.

"What's wrong?"

Looking toward the Polaris captain, Nathaniel let out a breath and gave a warning. "If what I suspect is true Talwyn, then I'm going to overload myself drawing the energy out."

"Meaning?"

"For you, it means that I'll be having my 'me-nap'." Seeing the annoyed expression of the markazian, Nathan added quickly, "On the bright side, you'll have Clank to keep you company."

"Fine, go ahead."

"Thank you."

Nathan put his right hand on Clank's head and his left hand on the robot's ventilator. The psychic's irises took on a purple hue as sparks of energy climbed from Clank and across Nathan's arms. As the seconds passed, the sparks' number and power grew in intensity and static soon filled the air, giving off a series of methodical snaps and crackles. A violet glow emanated from both the Zoni and human, glowing brighter as time passed. In a final flash of power, Nathan let go of the small robot and fell to the floor unconscious with dark purple sparks leaping about him.

Opening his eyes, Clank took a look around the hangar. Seeing Nathaniel on the floor next to him and Talwyn kneeling on the other side, the small Zoni robot ventured a question. "What has happened here?"

"A lot of things apparently, Nathan defeated our opponents and the lombaxes are down." Talwyn replied, pointing to the two lombaxes.

"Oh dear."

Struggling to get up, Clank finally succeeded, only to wobble and fall again.

"Well, this seems to complicate matters. Uh, Miss Apogee, if you please?"

"Sure Clank, hold on."

After lifting the robot up, Talwyn watched as Clank took a cautionary step forward, then another, and then another. Seeing that he was okay, Clank started running toward to the fallen heroes. When he arrived he knelt next to Ratchet and put a hand on the lombax's and grasped it firmly.

"We gave both of them some nanotech. How well is it working?" Talwyn asked, letting Clank scan both lombaxes. His antennae flashed as he began the procedure. Once he'd finished up Ratchet's diagnostic, Clank turned around and scanned Terin.

"This does not look well," the Zoni said after a few more seconds.

"It's that bad?" Talwyn asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"They have both suffered serious wounds and Ratchet has it the worse of the two."

"Will they be okay?"

"I do not know."

"Will giving them more nanotech help at all?"

"No. It will not. The dosage given will be fine."

For some reason, Talwyn knew Clank was hiding more information. But why?

"Clank, I want to help. Now, tell me everything."

"If you want to help, we need to send an SOS out to any friendly ship in range. Otherwise—" Unable to finish that thought, Clank clammed up, moving to sit on the ground. He pulled his knees up to his chest, locking his hand together in front of him, looking like an oddly-shaped ball. Seeing the Zoni's anxious expression, Talwyn pulled Clank into her embrace, squeezing him gently, whispering, "It's okay, Clank, they'll pull through… I know they will."

* * *

 **AN: (11-22-17) Edited.**


	12. Send Signal

"The bridge is empty as well. You were right Clank, this entire ship is deserted," Talwyn said, giving one last look around. Seeing the tiny robot on a chair, Talwyn walked up and saw Clank typing something on the control panel.

"Who are you trying to call?" She asked, taking a nearby chair for herself.

"I am not trying to call anyone. I am simply sending out a distress signal," Clank answered.

"Good move. I'll try to get into contact with the Raynarn Defense Force then and see if they can't give us some extra assistance."

"Okay."

Climbing off the chair, Clank walked off, leaving the markazian behind to her call. Exiting the bridge, Clank headed for the hangar. During their exploration of the ship, the two had found the medical bay. While they couldn't move the lombaxes all the way there, they were able to bring some of the room's equipment to them. After a few minutes, the heroes' conditions were stabiliziing and both Clank and Talwyn were greatly relieved. Although the lombaxes would be out for at least the remainder of the day, Clank was overjoyed at the fact that the lombaxes would pull through.

After that, Clank suggested to Talwyn that she use him to jumpstart her ship so that they could get help, but she had instead wanted to stay with the lombaxes, so she suggested to find the bridge and see if it was operational. They found it. And with that, they gave one last sweep of the ship, looking for any remaining stragglers to which there were none.

Also, Talwyn and Clank located the agent's quarters, finding various weapons, gadgets and other equipment. None of it served them much use, but the most interesting object they found was a nav-unit. Upon examination, they found it transmitting a two-way signal, meaning both ends could hear the other end. Tracing the signal, Clank discovered that the point of origin was in a galaxy in distant from Polaris: the Vinhar Galaxy.

The main race which populated it was a race of massive, light blue skinned people called the Fell-Enk. Their history was comparable to that of the biased Federation stories... only this time, there was no bias. These people were vile by nature once having subjugated entire systems and ruled the Vinhar Galaxy as thoroughly as the Cragmites once ruled Polaris. Having made many alliances with many empires throughtout the ages, the Fell-Enk, at one point, became one of the most well known races in the universe. However, a great plague shook their entire existence to its barest minumum, crumbling the once powerful race. Only a handful of survivors remained after the plague left. It took many, many, many millenia, but the Fell-Enk returned to power in Vinhar-although not nearly as powerful as they once were.

As of modern times, in addition to their conquests, they also sell their services and conquests to the highest bidder, making them those who have allied with them, valuble partners. And to those who hate them-a despicable people.

Clank arrived at the hangar and walked down a set of stairs located on the far edge of the room. Making it to ground floor, he walked over to the fallen lombaxes lying on the cold, metal floor. Letting his gaze run over the small machines that Talwyn and he brought out, Clank could see that the lombaxes had neither gotten better, nor had their condition deteriorated. Anxiety washed over the small Zoni. Here he stood, unable to do anymore for the two heroes, silently hoping for their recovery.

Clank knew it was foolish to think that the two lombaxes would get off scot-free but still, he hoped that whatever Valis did wasn't too severe. A steady beeping went off inside the robot's head. Realizing that he was being contacted, he closed his eyes and re-opened them, his optics glowing a white color, giving off a holo-screen that contained the caller's info. Seeing that it was from Talwyn, Clank pressed the black lined phone and closed his eyes, reverting them to their orginal bright green color.

"Yes Miss Apogee, what is it?" Clank asked, walking to where the psychic was lying on the floor.

"I've got good news and bad news." Talwyn said, her voice echoing inside the robot's head.

"Do tell."

"First, the Raynarn Defense Force Captain has agreed to come to our aid. Second, he has also agreed to help us with safe passage to Tempalo. And finally, medical assitance for Terin and Ratchet."

Clank beamed at the good news, however, he had a question of his own to ask. "Talwyn, what did the captain say about our attackers?"

"That's the bad news, without any hostile decleration, the Fell-Enk can just send agents all day long and all the Defense Force can do is protect the people, not make war with another galaxy."

"That is disappointing but it does make sense."

"How are they?"

"Their vitals have not changed in the past hour. I believe that they will pull through though."

"Well that's good. How's Nathaniel?"

Clank quickly did a scan of the unconsious human before him. When he was finished, Clank checked the diagnostic report and gave the jist of it to Talwyn. "He is fine. He should wake in about an hour."

"That's good to hear. Well, come back up to the bridge. I think I found something that might shed some more light on our enemies."

"Right away Miss Apogee."

 _ **R &C**_

"Do you have any idea what you just said?" The commander questioned, an unatural calm in his voice. Everyone knew what followed the calm, the thing is, no one wanted to witness it.

Kisma stood before the Fell-Enk commander with a cautionary expression. If she was brutally honest, Nathaniel scared her more than the commander did. She would be able to take whatever punishment he decided to dish out. However, she refused to answer the question. She knew exactly what she told him. It wasn't her fault that he didn't like it.

"You won't answer me, that's fine," the commander started, "I have other assets that can do the job for me." He made a waving gesture with his hand and said firmly, "Go. I have no more use for your services."

With that, Kisma turned and walked out the commander's office, bumping into Dornavan while she walked into the hall. Knocking the door, Dornavan poked his head in and looked at the commander. Opening his mouth for permission to enter, the third agent was cut off by the Fell-Enk gesturing for him to come in and close the door behind him.

"I finished the task." Dornavan said, taking his seat on a chair that sat opposite of the commander's desk.

"Good. That should take care of Raynarn's defenses."

"Are you really intent on bringing an entire fleet?"

"Liege has given his orders. No more one at a time, he wants the five crushed and Travel The Days in his grasp by the end of the week."

"If you don't mind my asking sir—"

"—why we don't double-cross Liege and take the artifact's power for ourselves?' The commander cut in, a rare smile gracing the Fell-Enk's face.

"Yes. That would've been my question." Dornavan asserted, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

"You see, our intentions are in the long run the same. Besides, I am fully prepared for any and all betrayal."

"It seems like you've been faking loyalty this whole time then Balloch."

"I have, but so has he. We both know that it is mutually beneficial to keep our parts of the bargain and give what has been promised when we succeed."

Heaving himself out of the chair, Balloch walked up toward the window, staring into the depths of space. In response, Dornavan joined the commander and gazed out into black abyss. After a few minutes, keeping his gaze on the emptiness, Balloch asked Dornavan a question.

"How thoroughly did you sabotage their defenses?"

"At your word, they will be utterly disarrayed."

"You'll have to excuse me if I don't exactly believe you."

"Understandable. Still, it is on your word. We'll have to be in Raynarn of course."

"Understood."

Tearing his gaze from the void, the commander walked over to his office's door. Facing him, Dornavan inquired as to Balloch's doings.

"Where are you going sir?"

"To practice. Tell me, how's your magic?"

"That depends, how's your metal?"

"Follow me and I'll show you."

Opening the door, both men began the walk to the training course, where they would prepare for the time when they would encounter the five heroes.

 _ **R &C**_

"Clank, over here." Talwyn called as he entered the bridge. As he came closer, Clank saw that Talwyn was holding some sort of device in her hands. He recognized the device to be a holo-recorder.

"Who do you think owned this, Kisma or Valis?" Talwyn asked when Clank stood next to her.

"I am not sure. Do you think that this is a good idea?" He replied. After what happened, the small galactic hero didn't want anything to do with those agents. They meant bad news to him.

"I'm sure Clank. If whoever used this kept record of all their transactions with their employer, we could use this to know who we're dealing with. I won't have another surprise like this one happen again."

Hearing her make a good arguement, Clank sighed and told the captain, "Alright then, let us see what mysteries we can solve."

After activating the recorder, a small antennae-like rod came out of the top. The tip glowed a faint blueish-white before shooting forth a holographic projection. From the angle of the shot, Talwyn and Clank could tell that whoever had this did not want anyone else to notice they were taping the conversations so the video wasn't the best. However, the audio was no problem for both heroes could hear every word perfectly.

" _I've called you here because one of your number failed to bring me any of their heads._ "

Whoever this man was, Clank and Talwyn instantly disliked him.

" _He's dead now. We don't take failures lightly._ "

"Wait," Pausing the video, Talwyn turned toward Clank and asked him a question, "Do you think he was talking about Jornik?"

"It is entirely possible; I would not doubt it." Clank replied, nodding his head in agreement. Pressing play again, they both listened.

" _What is the status of the four at this moment?_ " Both the markazian and Zoni recognized the speaker to be Valis.

" _Five, Valis._ " It was the first speaker, ringing in the air like a bass.

" _Five?_ "

" _I can assure you that the fifth member is of little consequence._ "

" _Then who is it?_ "

" _The daughter of famed explorer Max Apogee. As of now she currently holds a 'captain' position in the Polaris Defense Force: Talwyn Apogee."_

Pause.

Clank looked at the markazian who was shocked at what the first speaker just said of her. "Little consequence?"

The Zoni knew that if did not act quickly, all heck would break loose and he would be on the recieving end of that heck.

"Miss Apogee, now's not the time-"

"-he called me a... LITTLE CONSEQUENCE!"

"Please be rational Miss Apogee. Now is not the time to lose our temper."

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE CALLED ME?!" She screamed, turning on the robot who dared tried to calm her. As far as Talwyn knew, she was going to find this "commander" shove a R.Y.N.O up his *bleep*.

"I am fully aware of what he called you. However, we both know this is not true. You are a valued member of this team, remember that." Clank scolded, his voice rising.

Taking a deep breath, Talwyn looked down at the robot, handing him the recorder. "Here Clank, can you finish this? I'm going to go take a breather." With that, Talwyn left the bridge, her steps a clear indicator that she still angry. Sighing inaudibly, Clank pressed play on the holo-recorder and finished the conversation. It seemed that their was a third... no, fourth agent now.

" _This does not bode well._ " Clank thought as he continued listening, more intently now as the agents and the commander seemingly left the room and visited someone by the name of . From there they recieved a gadget called Psych-Bands and judging from the doctor's words, it was extremely dangerous.

"W _hy didn't Valis or Kisma use one?_ " He thought as the recording finished and the robot began cycling through the other recordings, looking for more information on their mysterious enemies.

 _ **R &C**_

Talwyn walked throughout the halls of the flagship, a mix of fresh emotions all vying for center stage.

" _-of little consequence_."

Those three words made her blood boil. How dare he write her off as some waste of space, as some second-rate garbage, as some piece of... "No Tal, keep it together." She told herself, turning the corner.

" _ **WHAM!**_ "

Both people fell backwards, the mystery figure catching himself; landing on the floor in a crabwalk. Talwyn stumbled but managed to remain upright. Looking at who she 'whammed' into, she was surprised to see Nathaniel up and about this soon.

"Ah, hey captain, didn't see you there." The psychic began apologetically, fumbling to get himself upright.

"Here," Talwyn offered, extending her hand toward Nathan who, after his face flushed, sheepishly took it.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. How do you feel?"

"To be honest, I feel better. Not fully rested mind you, but I'm ready to go again. How are the lombaxes?"

Instantly, Tal's face fell. Nate picked up on it and cast his sight down on the floor as well. "That bad, huh?"

"Not that bad, they're just in a serious way."

"Have you contacted anyone outside our circle?"

"Yes, the Raynarn Defense Force are on their way."

"Good, it's about time we recieved some help, these attacks are becoming ridiculous."

"I agree."

Turning away, Talwyn walked back down the hall. Catching up, Nathan followed alongside her and together, the two walked in silence. After turning corners and covering the long corridors, they came to the bridge where they found Clank focus on the holo-recorder.

"Hey little buddy, how's it going?" Nathaniel asked. Clank raised his eyes up and found Talwyn and Nathaniel walking toward him. He paused the recorder and held it beside him, nodding his head to acknowledge their entrance.

"Oh, hello Nathan. I am doing well, thank you." Clank replied.

"What have you two done while I was out?"

"We have been gathering assistance as well as learning more about our enemies. From the looks of it, there seems to be another agent working for them."

"A fourth one?" Talwyn inquired.

"Yes," Clank answered.

Holding up the recorder, he used his other hand and sifted through the recording, looking for a particular one. After locating it, he pressed on it. The recorder buzzed to life and projected an actual scene at a bird's-eye view of the room.

"What is this Clank?" Tal questioned, exchanging glances with the projection and Zoni.

"This is a recorded message between the 'commander' who I now know to be Balloch, and a hooded figure known only as 'Liege'. I would assume either Valis or Kisma wanted to know just what was truly going on."

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this 'Liege' character is the leader of our whole villain group," Nathaniel cut in, keeping his sight trained on the projection.

"I would agree."

"So what happens in this recording?"

"Watch." Pressing the play button, the three watched as the recorded Balloch pulled out a small disc-shaped device from inside of his desk. Tapping the disc's screen, Balloch tossed it toward the center of the room. Once it landed, an image flashed into existence. The figure had his entire being shrouded, unable to be identified by the three. One thing they all noticed however, was the long claw-like appendages that shot forth from the cloak Liege wore. On the inside edge of the appendages were finger-like attachments. Whoever Liege was, he wasn't one you took lightly.

" _Sannabrich, da bur ren qual?_ "

"Just checking on your progress. How's did the Kreeli Expediton go?"

"WHAT?!" Nathaniel shouted, utterly shocked.

Pausing the video, Clank turned to face Nathaniel. Talwyn did so as well.

"What's the matter, Nate?" Talwyn demanded, seeing the human's surprised, unblinking face. Instead of saying anything, the psychic made a series of half-said interrogatives and incoherent noises. Finally, throwing his arms up in defeat, the psychic sat down and facepalmed himself. While the other two found this mildly amusing, they knew something was wrong... very wrong. Placing a hand on Nathan's shoulder, Clank asked, "What is the problem?"

"I can't believe I let him slip through my fingers like that." The psychic muttered, shaking his head in irritation.

"Let who slip through your fingers? Liege?" Talwyn asked, kneeling beside Nathan.

"Of course! He was on Kreeli when Terin and I were on it. If I had just stopped to take a look around, this all would have been avoided."

"We cannot dwell on what we should have done. Somethings are simply out of our control." Clank advised.

Chuckling, Nathan made eye-contact with the small robot.

"What is so funny?"

"The irony of this situation Clank. We're on a search for Travel The Days."

"Oh."

Smiling, Clank let out his signature giggle, causing the two others to join in. A good few seconds passed before they stopped, only for Nathaniel to suddenly stand up. His whole body tensed as if he sensed something.

"What is it?" Tal inquired, standing up, a hand grabbing hold of her blaster.

"We've got ships inbound, two o' clock."

"That could be the Defense Force." Talwyn headed for the control panel and typed something in.

"Wait, the controls work?" Nathaniel asked, glancing down at Clank.

"They do. Turns out that most of your psychic energy was diffused into space from the hangar. The rest of the ship suffered from your fight with Valis. But it wasn't as bad as Talwyn feared it to be," the Zoni answered plainly.

"You know about what happened?"

"Yes. Talwyn briefed me on it."

"Ah." Nathaniel looked down at his boots as he kicked the floor. "Sorry... about... well... the ships and stuff... you too." He dropped his voice to a whisper.

"There is no need to apologize," Clank returned. "At least we are getting help."

The flicker of a screen stole their attention. Nathaniel and Clank raised their eyes where they saw a young, light-skinned face appear on screen.

"Nathaniel, Clank, meet Quincy Grayman: Captain of the Raynarn Defense Force."

All three men exchanged salutes; the human and Zoni took their place next to the markazian.

"Gentleman, Captain Apogee has briefed me on the details on what's transpired here. And, to be frank, I can see it too."

"Thanks for the assisstance captain." The psychic acknowledged, giving a slight nod. "Meet us in the east landing bay. Three people out."

Ending communications, Talwyn, Nathaniel and Clank left the bridge and headed toward the hangar. Upon arrival, they saw a carrier landing next to Tal's ship. Taking the stairs, the three heroes met Captain Grayman and no more than four troopers. They stood at attention behind their captain. Someone of some stature, Captain Grayman closely resembled Nathaniel in most physical aspects. However, he was slightly shorter and a tad 1more stockier. On his head he wore a navy blue sailor hat, obsuring most of his blond hair. He wore a tucked uniform that matched the style and color of his hat. Piercing steel-gray eyes quickly took in the scene he'd just landed in. A scar mark crossed the height of his crooked nose and ended just above the top lip. Curling his mouth in a grimace, he pointed to the lombaxes and voiced his suspicion.

"They're in need of medical assisstance?"

"Correct." Clank affirmed.

"Alright. Logan, Drurar, Wayne, Colfer, get the stretchers." Grayman barked.

The ordered troops complied without hesitation, first heading toward the carrier for the stretchers and then heading toward Terin and Ratchet.

"Careful men, intestinal and spinal injuries aren't pretty injuries."

"Captian Grayman, where do you propose we go to discuss the matter further?" Clank questioned, watching with visible worry as the four troopers placed the lombaxes inside the ship.

"Well, I was thinking that you three could come with us and maybe we could discuss this over lunch."

"Lunch? I'm in." Nathaniel stated.

"Excellent, is this okay with you two?" Captain Grayman asked, directing the question to Talwyn and Clank. They answered positively. "Follow me," Quincy ordered, turning before heading toward the carrier. Turning to the others, Nate told them to go ahead. Complying, both the markazian and Zoni followed Captain Grayman into the ship.

"Isn't your friend coming?" Grayman asked, seeing only the two of them walk aboard.

"Nathaniel has his own mode of trasnportation," Clank put simply, giving the psyhic a thumbs-up. Retuning it, Nathaniel allowed his irises to glow purple. A faint aura surrounded Nathan and the ships the five had originally arrived in. In a flash, Nathan darted out of the hangar with Aphelion, Zenith, and Talwyn's ship in tow. Turning toward the heroes, Quincy tried asking 'how' but all that could come out was a stuttered noise, making both Talwyn and Clank chuckle.

Shaking his head, Captain Grayman called to the pilot and told them to head out.

"-and once we near Alnek. Call Platform 1 control, tell them to send a medical team out to the southern strip."

With that, the carrier eased it way out of the broken flagship, one-eighted, then darted off for Planet Alnek, capital of Raynarn.

* * *

 **AN: (8-31-17) Edited.**


	13. Planet Alnek

Planet Alnek.

The Jewel Of Raynarn.

Traveler's Rest.

Utopia.

Many names were attributed to the world our heroes were headed for. And from where he stood, with his face pressed up against the window, Nathaniel could see the massive, intricate landmasses encircled by one wide-open ocean. Patches of cloud mass dotted the planet's atmosphere. If the psychic didn't know any better, he'd say that he was hitching a ride back home to Earth. But of course he knew better. Plus, the clouds of Alnek, if one looked closely enough, contained trace amounts of pink coloring in them. It was a strange sight to behold as the distant yellow sun cast its rays on the planet, no doubt adding faint tints of light pink to everything.

Passing through the atmosphere, the psychic saw what he believed to be Platform 1 fast approaching: a giant dome comprised of some sort of clear-glass material and lined with an unfamiliar white metal alloy that served to enclose the entire city. Three long runways stretched from certain points around the circumference of the circular base. Through the glass, the buildings were mostly made like those of any large city, tall, with some almost scraping the tippity-top. While Nathan couldn't make out any particulars, he could hear the thoughts of those inside the city. They all were going about their day, unaware of anything happening on the outside.

" _And_ _they say ignorance is bliss_."

Turning away, Nathan came face to face with Captain Grayman, almost walking straight into him.

"Whoa! Hey there Captain," Nathan started, throwing up a quick salute.

"At ease Nathaniel. No need for formalities here," Grayman returned, holding up a hand. Moving around the psychic and taking his place at the window, Quincy looked down upon the dome.

"Is that Platform 1?" Nathaniel asked, joining Captain Grayman.

"Indeed. Let's hope they have an organized team down there."

"You sound like a man who gets what he commands done. I wouldn't worry."

Facing the psychic, the captain shot him a quizzical look before voicing a question. "How was it that you were able to simply fly off into space without an O2 mask or some special suit?"

Chuckling, Nathan waved a dismissive hand and simply replied, "I'm just a really special person."

"That's the crux of the issue then."

Turning his gaze to the captain, Nathan asked, slightly confused. "Crux?"

"Special powers like yours don't exist among us Allonians."

"Allonians? Ah. Well, with all due respect Captain, I'm not Allonian. Although I could see where you would be confused—our races seem to share many similar physical characteristics."

"You're not Allonian?"

"I'm not," Nathan affirmed, gesturing to himself. "I'm a human. It's not the greatest race, but it's better than many others I've seen."

"Human?"

"Indeed."

Rubbing his chin, Quincy lost himself in thought and turned to face the incoming runway platform. On it were several other Allonians, many of who were wearing either a white or baby blue uniform, while some others wore white lab coats.

"Well, we should go," Nathaniel advised, making a break for the exit.

"Right behind you," Quincy said, rushing after him.

At the hangar doors, both human and Allonian met markazian and Zoni. Together, they watched as the automatic ramp doors opened and the two lombaxes were carried on their stretchers and set into ambulances. Several members of the medical team boarded the ambulance and closed the doors behind them. Accomplished, the vehicles sped off across the expansive runway. The remaining medical staff saluted the captain before returning into their own vehicles and raced after the ambulances.

"Don't worry. Your friends are in good hands," Captain Grayman announced, walking away from the cruiser. Exchanging glances, Nathaniel, Talwyn and Clank followed the captain to the edge of the platform, each taking their spot beside him. The cruiser sealed itself up and darted back into the atmosphere.

From where they stood, facing east, the four of them could see the immense landscapes that sprawled endlessly before them. Although specific detail could not be picked out, they could see large snow-capped mountains beneath them, each just a couple hundred cubits below. At the end of the range, great rolling plains dotted the bountiful landscape. To the north, several droves were nothing but green specks on their vision. To the south, the mountain ranges met the ocean blue leaving each of the visitors to imagine what happens over there. Behind them, the setting sun cast its light on them, forming black shadows that stretched for several kilocubits on end, contrasting sharply with the color that surrounded them. The fading tinge of pink in the atmosphere departed, leaving dashes of orange, red, yellow, and even blue.

"This is absolutely breathtaking," Talwyn breathed.

"I agree," Clank added.

"It never ceases to amaze me," Grayman stated, casting a sidelong glance at the others. "And I see this almost everyday."

"Nathan, what are your thoughts?" Clank inquired, turning to face the psychic.

"To be honest, I would concur but... I can't," Nathan replied, looking at the small Zoni robot with a smirk. Seeing the human's face, Clank shot a look of disbelief. Shaking his head, the tiny robot asked. "What is missing that makes it so you cannot agree?"

"Steady breezes Clank. Something you'll never truly experience."

"Really Nate?" Talwyn started, exasperated at his answer.

"Mmhmm."

A sharp laughter caught the three heroes attention. Facing the source, they saw Captain Grayman bent over, clutching his side with one hand, his other hand on his right knee.

"You think that's funny, don't you?" Nathaniel asked, miffed.

Calming down—though he hadn't stopped completely—Quincy looked at the group of three, saying that he thought so. "It seems like you've known each other for quite sometime," he finished.

"Actually Captain, we have only known each other for little over a day," Clank corrected, pointing his index finger up as he said it.

"Well I'll be. Now come on, we should be heading inside. Nights on Alnek are brutal. Especially all the way up here," Captain Grayman commanded, leaving the others behind him.

"That reminds me," Clank said as he started walking, following the others. "How is it that—besides me—we are all able to breathe up here?"

Just as Quincy opened his mouth to speak, Nathaniel interjected, "Psychic auras Clank. Plus, I'd already assumed that Captain here doesn't need anything extra to breathe easily up here."

Shaking his head, Captain Grayman ended his walk next to an overhead runway light. On the beam was a control panel. While putting in some commands, he spoke to the group, but mainly to Nathaniel. "Actually, you can drop those 'auras' Nate. The air here is suitable for all races, even at this high altitude. Consider it another reason why Alnek is the best planet in all of Raynarn."

"All races? I don't know if I can believe that," Nathan said doubtfully, shaking his head.

"Well, it's just to let you know. Anyway—" Captain Quincy started, pausing his sentence as a long hoverpad headed straight toward them, only for it to stop mere centicubits before him. "—this will be our ride in. Hop on."

The group of four stepped on the pad and Grayman walked up to a podium-like control panel. After pressing a button, the hoverpad sped off across the runway toward the city. As they passed, the overhead lights flickered on, illuminating the runway. After a minute, the pad slowed to a stop and the four got off. Before them was the massive dome, and with it, the magnificent city. Coming to two great plated doors, they saw that six men stood guard. Upon seeing Captain Grayman, one called out to open the door. The only sound that could be heard was the creaking of the gears as the doors opened before them. It revealed a short distance to which at the end was another great plated door.

"Don't you think that this is kind of outdated?" Talwyn inquired of Quincy.

"Maybe. But 'outdated' isn't exactly a bad thing. It's reliable, plain, and simple." He answered, nodding to the saluting troopers before continuing his way inside. Catching up with him, Nathaniel said, "Hate to state the obvious, but you have hover transportation, a flying fortress, ships capable of intergalactic travel and other advanced tech, so why 'good old-fashioned'? And don't give me what you told Talwyn."

"Hmm. Well, we just never changed doors I guess. Besides, not everything can be 'good old-fashioned'. What did you expect of the flying city? A giant tower underneath it?"

"Why not? My race tried." Chuckling, Nathan shook his head before continuing. "They failed too."

"That's a shame. At any rate, if we're going to get to the hospital quickly, we're going to need a ride."

When they arrived at the doors, gears sounded as they too swung open. What greeted the four was the city itself. Overhead was a natural light emitter and the clear-glass allowed for the darkening skies to be witnessed. Each building, like most of the metropolises on Igliak, reflected the light around the whole dome. The streets were bustling with activity as was the airway. Honks and motors made an overwhelming ruckus. Very few pedestrians walked the sidewalks, but those who were seemed to be in their own little bubbles, only so far aware of the activity around them.

"Loud," Nathaniel said for everyone.

"It can be if you're not around it enough. Now come on," Quincy ordered, making a dash for the nearest street corner. Upon arriving, the captain hailed a taxi, prompting a yellow hovercar to pull up beside them. Opening the door, he gestured for the other three to get into the back. Nathaniel climbed in first, followed by Clank, and lastly by Talwyn. Slamming the door shut behind her, Quincy then went around and opened the passenger side. He climbed in and shut the door.

"Where to sir?" The driver, an elderly Allonian, inquired politely. Donned in a simple navy blue shirt with black pants, a pair of brown shoes, and glasses, the driver moved the rear-view mirror to get a better view of his passengers.

"Hospital. South end of town. Make it snappy," Grayman ordered.

"Right away."

The driver slammed the gas pedal and darted into traffic—many people honked in response. Clank covered his eyes in fright and said, "I cannot look."

"Ah come on, this is amazing," Nathan declared. Eyeing Talwyn, the psychic asked if she was alright, to which she replied with a quiet "yeah".

Turning to the driver, he called out. "Hey, elder dude?"

The driver looked at Nathaniel's reflection curiously. "Hmm?"

"Can this thing fly?"

"See for yourself."

Flicking several switches, the car instantly pulled up its wheel and the undercarriage opened up, revealing several anti-gravity disks. These discs pushed the car into the air, several cubits above ground, in between the road and airway. Plus, lights began blinking on the roof of the car. Afterward, the driver floored the gas pedal, taking full advantage of the free space. Coming to a corner, the driver removed his foot from the gas and eased the brake. Surprisingly, the taxi slowed smoothly and the driver rounded the corner with ease. Picking up speed again, the five of them weaved around the labyrinthine city until they arrived at the south end hospital.

A large white building greeted them as the hovertaxi slowed down and descended toward the ground. The driver was able to stick the landing smoothly and found a parking space in short order, easing his way into it before making a complete stop.

"We're here Clank," Nathaniel announced, looking out the window toward the hospital. Moving his hands from his face, the Zoni opened his eyes and saw that they had arrived safe and sound. Captain Grayman handed the driver four small, smooth reddish orbs. Palming them, the driver gave a salute and waited for the others to get out. When done, the driver backed out and pulled away. The four watched as he shrunk in the distance

"Well," Nathan said, a little out of breath, facing the group. "That was fun."

"No. It was not fun at all," Clank stated, shooting a 'how could you enjoy that' look at the psychic. Said psychic shrugged his shoulders and started walking toward the hospital, calling out behind him. "Hey Tal, be honest. Did you enjoy that ride?"

Running a hand through her hair, she took a breath before answering. "Yeah, it was fast though." She caught up with Nate and Clank as they walked through the front arch and on the path.

"Have to agree with that but hey, I'd ride again."

"So would I, especially with my privileges." Quincy added, trailing the group's flank.

"Privileges?" Nathan questioned.

"All part and parcel of being Captain of the Raynarn Defense Force."

"Sweet."

The four walked in comfortable silence until they made it to the front doors. They opened at their approach, causing Talwyn to shoot a sly look at the other captain. "'Good old-fashioned manpower', huh?"

"I'll take some of that action," Nathan said, making the small robot laugh as they entered the lobby. Finding himself smiling, Captain Quincy challenged the other captain's smirk with one of his own, boldly admitting 'yes'.

"Man, I don't know who wins Clank."

"I am unsure as well."

Turning away, Grayman walked up to the receptionist counter and started conversing. Squatting next to Clank, Nathan whispered, "This is probably a bad time and all but, you guys still owe me 20,000 bolts."

A hard kick from the markazian sent Nathan face-first onto the floor.

"What was that for?!" Nathan exclaimed, standing back up before he dusted himself off.

"I said we'll discuss this later," Talwyn said sharply.

"This is later!" The psychic shouted, exasperated, throwing his arms into the air.

Rolling her eyes, the markazian captain was going to reply before being cut off by the allonian captain. "Come on you three, the lombaxes are up on the fourteenth floor."

Following the captain, Nathaniel, Talwyn and Clank walked into an open elevator. When the four had taken their positions, Quincy pressed the button which was labeled with the number "14". The elevator door closed and it started going upward. A familiar feel of weightlessness present in the room made the small Zoni let out his signature giggle.

"What's so funny?" Nathan questioned, slightly indignant over the possibility of what the robot could laugh about.

"It is nothing," Clank responded, giggling still.

"Whatever," the psychic mumbled, leaning his back against the railing.

Many seconds passed before a familiar 'ding' could be heard and the elevator ceased moving. The doors retracted inward and the four entered a brightly lit hallway.

"Follow me," Grayman ordered, turning to the right and began walking. The others trailed behind him, reading the room numbers: 14-J, 14-K, 14-L, 14-M... until they arrived at 14-Z.

"Here we—"

WHAM!

The door burst opened as two allonian doctors walked out. Hearing the loud impact, they turned to see Captain Grayman almost fallen over had it not been for Nathan. The human caught the stumbling allonian and helped him back up. Although their wasn't any reason, Quincy straightened his uniform and introduced the two doctors to the other three.

"Everyone, meet Drs. Faze and June Raden."

Between a few exchanged handshakes, Quincy continued. "How are they?"

The one known as Faze answered the captain's question with both good and bad news.

"The silver lombax—"

"—Terin. His name is Terin," Nathaniel interrupted, a darker, more solemn edge to his voice.

"Errr… yes, Terin. He is awake and can be seen. However," Dr. Razen said, raising his voice, preventing the psychic from pushing past him. "The..."

"Ratchet," both Talwyn and Clank interrupted as well, although in much more amiable tones.

"Might as well take over my job if you know the patients so much," Faze suggested before chuckling.

"Done," Nathan said smugly, crossing his arms, leaning on the wall.

"It seems that you have a replacement then Doctor." Quincy said.

"It appears I do," Dr. Raden admitted as he removed his lab coat and handing it toward the psychic. "June here can fill you in on—"

"—whoa whoa whoa, no no no no no no," Nathan interjected, waving his arms in front of himself, shaking his head in disagreement. This earned laughs from the group—even from one which came from behind the door.

"Hey Terin. That you?" The psychic asked.

"Of course that was me. Think I would lay idly by while everyone else puts you on the spot like that?"

"It's him."

Pulling the door open, the group of six made their way into the lit room.

"Hey," Terin greeted, weakly raising a hand in gesture before lowering it against the cot.

"It's good to see you old friend," Nathaniel said mildly.

"Hello Terin," Clank greeted.

"Are you doing okay?" Talwyn inquired.

"To be honest, I'm fine, just stiff." Terin answered, sitting himself up. "Anyway, how have you three fared?"

"I'd like to say that we've been better," Nathaniel declared, walking over to the monitors.

Opening the partition, Captain Grayman called everyone over. While the doctors hung back, Clank, Talwyn, and Nathan walked to where the captain stood, looking over an unconscious lombax: Ratchet.

"He's breathing at least," Nathan said, glancing between the lombax and the monitors that kept track of his status.

"True," Dr. June Raden affirmed. She moved to a nearby chair and sat down. Rotating the seat, she faced a computer monitor and quickly pulled up Ratchet's profile. Next, Dr. Raden grabbed a remote lying next to the monitor and pressed a button, activating an overhead projector.

"As you'll soon see, we identified that Ratchet's injury consists of a broken bone between the base of the neck and the top of his back."

"Otherwise known as our 'Nine Lives' bone." Terin cut in, "Basically our... our... Nate?"

"Achilles' Heel," the psychic answered.

"Yes. Harming that bone in anyway will bring even the strongest of lombaxes to their knees."

"Then wouldn't fracturing and/or breaking it *ahem* _kill_ the lombax in question?" Quincy asked, glancing at both the psychic and his lombax friend..

"Not exactly. However, it will end the life of one who isn't given help."

"What happens then?" Talwyn inquired, her expression was one of anxiety.

Terin shook his head at the markazian and mouthed "don't worry". Turning his attention to both doctors, he asked if they could get into contact with a surgeon, and a skilled one at that.

"There are several very credible surgeon, both on Platforms and on the ground." Dr. Faze said. "Why do you ask?"

"At this rate, Ratchet will never move again. If we get a surgeon, he'll need to place an endoskeleton nervous system onto Ratchet's own. That way he can move again."

Unnerved, Nathaniel gave his friend a 'what' look before asking a question of his own. "Will this heal him?"

"No. It will not, there is still the muscle memory trauma that needs to be overcome. So no 'heavy-weapon wielding', no 'long treks over forgotten worlds', and especially no 'Clank carrying'."

"WHAT?!"

This was the general mood of the group.

"Grim, yes. Hopeless, no. Get into contact with the best surgeon for the job," Terin commanded, his words addressing the doctors. Facing the psychic, the lombax asked, "Think you and the others can find that attachment?"

"We'll get it done," Nate simply replied.

"Good. The sooner the better."

Everyone besides Terin left the room before said lombax called out to Nathan, telling him to wait here. Looking between his friend and the others, he told them to go on without him and that he'll catch up. Closing the door behind them, the psychic turned his attention toward his friend.

"So, what's up?"

"I'll assume you crushed Valis?"

"Owned him."

"That's good. Did you find anything else about our enemies?" Terin inquired, throwing the covers off of him, swinging out of the cot.

"You sure you can do that?"

"I just suffered intestinal damage. It's nothing nanotech can't fix. Besides, at worst I'll just vomit the next thing I eat."

A rumbling followed Terin's words, making both human and lombax erupt in loud laughter.

"Well, better now than never," Nathan managed to say in between bouts of laughter.

"Agreed. Now come on, there'd better be some decent grub in this place."

"If it makes you feel any better; Talwyn, Clank, Captain Grayman and I had a really good lunch on board the cruiser we rode in. So yeah, there's going to be decent grub."

"Lead the way then."

* * *

 **AN: (11-22-17) Edited.**


	14. A Lombax In Need

Sneaking down the hallway was easy. And so was that room with the large stairwell. Currently, Nathaniel and Terin were climbing down the aforementioned stairwell toward the lobby. They would have taken the elevator but a quick clairvoyant sweep revealed the others to still be in the building. Not wanting to risk a confrontation, the two Federation members decided on the long route.

"Passing floor five. We should be there soon," Nathaniel announced, quickly checking the window on the door to the halls.

"Nathan, just sweep each floor as we pass it," Terin suggested. This earned a hard stare from the psychic.

"I told you Terin, my psychic utilities are not at working order. I have to meditate to restore them back," he said, starting down the stairs again.

Rolling his eyes, the lombax followed his friend down to floor four. Silence befell both of them until they reached the ground floor. Opening the door, Terin and Nathaniel glanced both ways before tip-toeing down the corridor. Reaching a cross section, Nathan peaked around the corner and saw a allonian push a silver cart into another passage. The sound of a swing door opening and closing soon reached their ears. Facing the lombax, Nathan nodded to him and together, they sprinted to a wall nearest the hall that the allonian had gone through. Sliding against the wall, both heroes reached the end and looked around the corner.

"Yep, that's it Terin. Food is on the other side of that door," Nathan told the lombax before hiding behind the wall again. As if in response, a growling noise echoed across the hall.

"Tell your stomach to quiet down," Nathaniel whispered hastily, shooting cautionary glances around them. Seeing that no one heard, the psychic went over his plan with Terin. "Alright, I'll disguise us as doctors. If anyone asks, just say your on dinner break, everyone will believe you."

"I like this plan. Much better than your last one," Terin joked, earning an angry look from his friend.

"That plan was genius. You're all haters of good ideas."

Holding his hand out, Nathaniel closed eyes and focused. Tendrils of purple mist wafted from his hands and formed a small ball in the palm of his hand. Twitching his fingers, another purple-colored ball appeared next to the first one. Taking one in his other hand, he pressed the sphere against Terin's head and the other ball onto his own head. Opening his eyes. Nathan looked at his friend and instead of a silver-furred lombax, he saw a pale-skinned allonian instead. Golden eyes and crimson irises were changed into a faint gray eye and deep blue irises. His noise was tilted downward, looking more narrow and pointed. His mouth line was smaller and slightly thinner. To top it all off, his silver and green triangle shaped ears were changed to smaller, more rounder ears. His armor was exchanged for white scrubs and a white cap which covered his now gray hair.

"You look good," The psychic commented. Gesturing to himself, he asked. "How about me?"

Compared to Terin, Nathaniel. His hair was covered by the same cap the lombax wore, and his outfit matched to the letter. His irises went from hazel to more of a chocolate brown. His nose became more pointy while his mouth remained virtually unchanged. His ears, like Terin were the biggest change. Instead of their curved shape, it rounded out, making Nathan pass for an allonian doctor.

"You look the part," Terin simply put, starting out from hiding and into the hall. Nathan followed Terin and within seconds they pushed through the swing doors, only to be assaulted by many wonderful smells.

" _Why couldn't we smell this earlier?_ " Nathan transmitted to Terin. The lombax shrugged and looked around.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? YOU KNOW THE RULES!" A high-pitched shriek cried out from behind, making both heroes flinch.

" _Play it cool,_ " the psychic thought to the lombax, turning around to come face to face with the source of the shrill cry. The origin in question was an elderly allonian female who wore plain white double-breasted jacket, checkered pants and a full-body apron. She wore no toque and stood before the two 'doctors' with an angry expression.

Clearing his throat, Nathaniel clasped his hand together and very calmly apologized, saying that they were new here and were told that his was the place where they could have a dinner break.

"Huh, newbies then. Okay then, sorry for my outburst," she said, wiping her hands on her apron, leaving a wet streak on it.

"It's okay, no harm done," Terin asserted. "However, if you can direct us where to eat, that would be much appreciated."

"It's out this door and down the hall on your right when you reach the first intersection."

"Thank you madam," Nathaniel said, giving a small head nod before walking off.

"Before you go," the chef called to Nathan. "What would you two dearies like?"

Stopping, the psychic turned around and told the chef that they'll have two plates of the 'Desquzae'. Terin's eyebrows raised in question before Nathan contacted his mind and told him to drop the look.

"Okay then. Off you go and I'll go get them ready for you."

"Thank you."

When they were out of earshot, Nathan took a huge sigh of relief. "Don't worry about the food," he told Terin. "You'll love it."

"Riiiiight," Terin replied, turning the corner that ran along the same corridor Nathan and Terin were earlier when they went over their plan.

"Exactly."

Coming to the door, Nathaniel opened it, allowing a moderate clatter of noises to pour into the hallway. Standing at the threshold, both heroes saw several nurses, doctors, civilians and even a few troopers sitting down having a meal or making light conversation with the others around them. Some of the people looked up at them when they heard the door opening but they immediately went back to what they were doing.

However, one allonian trooper got up and walked over to them.

" _Remember, play it cool._ "

" _Stop thinking please._ "

"Well, seems like we've got latecomers. Introductions must be made," the trooper said, sticking his hand out.

Whoever this man was, they disliked him immediately.

"The name's Finik," Nathaniel stated, pointing to himself with one hand while shaking the trooper's hand. The psychic then pointed to Terin. "This here is Greavem. We're new."

"Darten. Always nice to see new faces here, like me," he said.

"Anyway, what made you come up to us? Seems like everyone else just acknowledged our presence and got on with life," 'Greavem' inquired, sharing a small side glance with 'Finik'.

"Just want to know the new people," Darten simply put.

"Hmph. Well, if you'll excuse us, we'll be on our way."

"Got it. Take care then."

Darten walked around the two heroes and into the hall, leaving Nathan and Terin to make their way to an empty table located in the corner of the room. After settling in their seats, a side door opened up and a silver push-cart came out. The waiter pushed the cart to their table first, handing them their plates of 'Desquzae': small bite-size pieces of sweet dough stuffed with spicy meats.

"Certainly looks appetizing," Terin commented once the waiter was out of earshot.

"It tastes better than it looks too," Nathaniel remarked, grabbing a fork and poking one of the pieces with it. Raising it to his mouth, Nate ate the whole piece before stabbing another piece. "Are you going to eat?"

"Who taught you that it's okay to talk with your mouth full?" The lombax demanded, taking his own fork and pointed it at the psychic.

Swallowing, Nathan set his fork down before taking a deep breath. When that was accomplished, he exhaled, answering Terin's question. "First off, yes, I broke an important rule of eating but that was a valid question."

"Valid or not, you never do that."

"Uhhh, things that are valid tend to be an exception to the rule."

"Not when it comes to etiquette."

"What are you? A butler."

"No."

"You sure are sounding like one."

"Am not."

"You are."

"Am not."

"You are."

"Am not."

"You are."

 _ **R &C**_

"Those two are fools! Did they really think that their pathetic disguises would work against my magic?" Dornavan said before laughing uncontrollably.

Currently, Darten was in contact with Balloch and Dornavan, telling them of his latest discoveries concerning the hospitalization of the lombaxes and the late arrivals of their allies.

"It seems then that I have to believe you Dornavan," Balloch said. "Good job." Turning his attention back to the trooper, he asked if he knew where the others were currently.

"I couldn't say. They're probably with the other lombax," Darten answered. Looking around, Darten was currently standing in a gazebo within the hospital gardens. Seeing that no one was around, he asked, "When will you arrive sir?"

"At the speeds we're currently going, we should arrive in Raynarn in three days time."

"What are you orders then?"

"You and your team are to continue monitoring the situation. Remember, make no move against the lombaxes. Liege wishes to see them before they're to be killed."

"Understood. My team and I can handle this. Darten out," the 'trooper' said before shutting off his communicator. Turning about-face, he walked out of the gazebo and looked around.

" _No witnesses._ _G_ _ood._ "

Coming to a stone circle near the gazebo, he looked down each pathway that spouted from the circle. Taking the one that bent ninety degrees to the left, Darten walked into the garden maze toward the hospital. A loud noise caught his attention. Turning toward the source, he nearly froze in place. Nathaniel and Terin were making there way into the garden maze that led to where he was. Thinking fast, he backtracked and dove behind a long hedge. Crouching, he glanced a quick peek at them and saw them come up the path he was about to take. Darten decided to listen in and stay out of sight.

" _Time to see how easy it is for the 'two fools' to be overheard._ "

 _ **R &C**_

"So," Balloch started, pouring a glass of wine into a simple silver goblet, "Tell me why I had Dr. Yolnan make those Psych-Bands if you were capable of "Puppet" magic?"

"It's simple really. Comes in two reasons," Dornavan said before taking a sip of his own glass. "One, I didn't know that you had commissioned such a project from the good doctor. From what I could gather, it seems that he was working on it for longer than I had been around. Two, the Psych-Bands are in fact, much more effective than my "Puppet magic". As of now, I'm finding it slightly difficult to keep that group under my control."

"I'll go ahead and say that distance is a factor in your ability to control."

"Indeed."

"Then why did you not stay on Alnek if you're having trouble with the control."

"My presence would have been detected by the psychic. I had to get to Alnek and back before our forces attacked them near the Raynarn-Polaris border."

"That was a while ago. Did you believe that the five would walk out of their alive?"

"Of course." Seeing the expression of disbelief on Balloch, the mage agent ventured a point. "Let's take Kisma for example. A great weapon wielder, but of course they had their own weapon wielder. Two if you count the markazian. All three of them are anywhere from proficient to expert in all manners of weaponry. Being that there were two of these 'experts' versus one 'expert' it's obvious that the one would be at a disadvantage."

"However, neither Ratchet nor Talwyn defeated her, it was technically Terin," Balloch pointed out. Taking a sip, he realized that his glass was empty and grabbed the bottle, pouring its reddish-purple contents into the glass.

"That maybe true. In all actuality, it could even be considered that Nathaniel defeated her." Gesturing to his empty glass, Dornavan asked the commander for a refill, only for nothing to come out of the bottle when it was poured.

"I'll grab a new one." The agent stood up and walked over to a wine rack. Scanning the rows of bottles, Dornavan asked for a good wine as he was wasn't familiar with the selection.

"Umm... look for Leyimousse," Balloch offered, raising himself up from out of the chair he occupied. A distinct ring grabbed both men's attention as each looked toward the source: an intercom that was resting on the commander's desk. The Fell-Enk moved to receive the incoming call while Dornavan continued his search for "Leyimousse".

"Who is this?" Balloch demanded.

"Commander," the heavily accented voice of Dr. Yolnan started. "Your suit is ready."

"On my way. Have it prepped and ready to go," the commander ordered before letting the button go. "About time," he muttered, heading for the door.

"Uh, Balloch," Dornavan called out. When the commander turned around and faced the agent, Dornavan raised the bottle and pointed to it. "What do—"

"—Set it on the table and we'll come back later. First, I want to see if the doctor has finally done it," the commander charged before turning and leaving the room.

" _I've told you once and I'll tell you again: 'One does not simply use time in such a manner'_ ," the agent thought solemnly before following suit and leaving the room behind.

 _ **R &C**_

They pulled up to the apartment building and got out of the cab. After entering the lobby, both doctors directed Talwyn, Clank and Captain Grayman to the top floor. Their destination was the office of noted surgeon: Dr. Oksolot Rinis, an elder allonian of many years.

Elegance had a suitable representative in that place. The first clue to it was the simple wooden door _,_ albeit having a carving of brilliant design etched onto it. Dr. Rinis opened the door and gestured for them all to enter. They all passed the threshold and were greeted by a spacious waiting room. From the far left side came light from the windows. They shone brightly on the crème colored walls, giving the room a lively feel. Between the windows was a glass door which led to the balcony.

They passed by the receptionist's counter which was empty, for their visit was recieved after-hours. To the visitors' right, hooked up to the wall was an off flat-screen holo-vision. Beneath it was a stone encrusted fireplace. They followed Dr. Rinis into a hallway. After passing more doors, the doctor stopped and turned to the left. He reached for the handle of the door and opened it up.

Everyone entered and took a seat. Dr. Rinis went to his chair that sat behind a sturdy desk, made of light wood. Adjacent to the desk was a dark-red cotton couch—which was where Talwyn, Clank, and Dr. June Raden sat. At their feet was a wool rug of dark-blue. An oval table of turquoise glass stood atop the rug. Even though there were chairs, Captain Quincy stood in the doorway instead, resting a hand on the entrance. Dr. Faze sat down in the chair opposite of the surgeon's desk, giving Dr. Rinis a manila folder containing all the information they'd gathered on Ratchet.

"Well, first order of business, what type of job do we have here?" Rinis asked aloud as he began to open the folder and leaf through the contents. As he went through it, Oksolot's expression changed from quizzical to shocked to studious then finally, resigned. Placing the report down, he took a deep breath and addressed the group.

"When you had called and said that a lombax needed my assistance, I was piqued. But I never would of thought that it was _this_ serious," he said.

"So, will you take the job?"

"It's for a good cause. I would be unworthy of my position to turn this down. I'll go and get the attachment along with my other tools." With that, Dr. Rinis got up and walked away.

"Seems like he'll do it," Captain Grayman stated, turning aside to let Dr. Rinis out.

"I knew he would," Faze said. "Plus, this is right up his alley."

"What do you mean by 'right up his alley'?" Clank asked.

"Clank, not only is Oksolot well known for bionic surgery, he was once confronted with this type of scenario decades ago."

"You mean that he has done this before?"

"Yes. If you want, you could ask him all about it when he returns with the what he needs."

"Hey Talwyn, could you get in touch with Nathaniel?" Quincy inquired. "If you can, ask him how Ratchet is doing?"

"Sure."

 _ **R &C**_

"Are you sure that this 'Balloch' was Fell-Enk?" Terin asked, irritated.

"Dude, I'm positive. I even showed you a mental projection. What's your problem?" Nathaniel replied, slightly cross at his friend's constant questioning of Balloch's race. Placing two fingers on the bridge of his nose, Terin let out an annoyed noise of sorts and spoke, replacing his ire with something more calm, surprisingly enough. "If he truly is a Fell-Enk, then there can only be one reason why he would be searching for Travel The Days."

"May I ask what that would be?"

"To bring back—" A sudden ringing noise went off, cutting Terin mid-sentence and causing the psychic to immediately press the button on his ear-transmitter bud. Lowering his voice, Nathaniel greeted the person on the other end. "This is Daniel. How may I be of assistance?"

"NATHAN!"

"Aah! How is it that you sound more annoying over long distances Tal?" The psychic started, taking on his normal voice.

An audible groan was heard. Both Terin and Nathaniel smiled silently.

"What's up on your end captain?" Terin called out, his smile still showing.

"We were checking up on you two and seeing if you were still with Ratchet."

"Oh yeah, we're with him, he's fine," Nathaniel responded, a little too quickly.

Silence.

"Nate? Can you even see Ratchet?"

"Pfft, of course I can see him."

"What's his status then?"

"Stable."

"Why don't I hear beeping then?"

"Uuuuuh, good question. I mean, I can hear beeping. You sure you can't hear beeping?"

 _Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Circling his hands together, Terin made his best impression of a heart rate monitor.

"Terin, stop," came the markazian's simple command. The lombax immediately stopped, making the psychic sigh heavily. "Okay Tal. Bottom line is no, we're not—"

"—YOU'RE NOT!?"

Squirming from the outburst, Nathan tried to calm Talwyn down but to little avail.

"Look, Terin was hungry so we had a small dinner—he barfed it up too," the psychic said, giving a death glare at the lombax. "Anyway, we're in the gardens and we'll check in with Ratchet right now, okay?"

"Go now. I want an update in five minutes."

"Whoa, we're like at least seven to ten minutes away... at speed-walking."

A rustling noise caught their attention where they saw a man running toward the hospital parking lot. Terin took off after him in a mad dash, leaving the psychic behind.

"Got to go Tal. Talk to you later."

Hanging up, Nathaniel ran after Terin, who now had activated his hoverboots, leaving clouds of dust hanging in the air as the human sped through the gardens.

* * *

 **AN: (12-8-17) Edited.**


	15. They've Been Among Us

They had caught him as soon as he came out of the elevator on the fourteenth floor.

After Terin noticed the spy, he took off running and quickly used his hoverboots to close the gap faster. The hedges, however, proved to be effective blockers and the lombax didn't make much progress. Nathaniel, on the other hand, started levitating and quickly made his way to the front door. Bursting in, the psychic saw the spy get in the elevator and make his way up. Nathan instantly appeared before the door to the stairwell and ran to the center of the room. He quickly took off skyward and landed on the fourteenth floor. Opening the door, Nathan rushed to the elevator where it opened up, revealing Darten.

Startled, the spy tried pressing another floor button but was sent against the wall with purple tuning forks circling his wrists, ankles, and neck. Stepping in the elevator, Nathaniel looked at his captured opponent with purple eyes before turning to press the button for the lobby.

" _Terin, where are you?_ " He transmitted, his back turned to the allonian.

" _Just got to the stairwell._ _D_ _id you capture the spy?_ " Terin thought back, making his ascent up the stairs.

" _I did. Now stand-by, we're making our way to your position._ "

" _Copy that._ "

Facing Darten, Nathaniel gave a wicked smile before asking, "Well, seems like there _was_ a reason we didn't like you."

Darten glared hatefully at the psychic.

"You mind telling why you were spying on us?"

"Because it's really easy to do, why else?"

Chuckling darkly, Nathaniel turned away, saying that it would be easier if he cooperates.

'I'll take my chances' was the traitor's reply.

 _ **R &C**_

Talwyn told Clank, Quincy, Faze, June, and Oksolot what Nathaniel told her and what seemed to be a hasty good-bye. The general mood was worry and they all agreed to get back to the hospital as soon as possible. Reaching the lobby, they made there way out the front door and took two cabs to get back. While on the way, Talwyn contacted Nathaniel and 'asked' for a status on Ratchet.

"Can't you hear the beeping?"

Indeed, if she focused and tried too, she could hear the quiet, steady beeping of the monitor.

"I can. By the way, tell Terin he needs to work on his deceptive skills."

"Will do. Before you go, where are you?"

"Inside a taxi heading to the hospital."

"When will you be here?"

"In a few, why are you asking?"

"Terin and I have some rather interesting developments we can discuss while Ratchet undergoes surgery."

"Alright then, see you later."

"You too, Miss Apogee."

"What was that?" Captain Grayman asked, turning to face the markazian and Zoni robot in the back seat.

"Seems like Nathaniel and Terin were busy," Captain Apogee replied.

"Did he specify what?"

"No."

"Alright then, it seems like we have to be in suspense. If I could be frank however, I'd say we've had enough suspense as it is."

Both Talwyn and Clank silently nodded in agreement before turning to look out their respective windows, each wondering what the 'interesting developments' could be.

 _ **R &C**_

"They should be here in a few," Nathaniel announced after canceling his call. "By the way, Tal says you need to work on your deceptive skills."

"Later. The more important question is: Who they chose to take the operation?" Terin said absentmindedly, inspecting his omniwrench.

"True, but the _most_ important question is: How they'll take my surprise?"

"Riiiiight. Like a purple lamp post with Darten's entire group wrapped up in a purple net isn't a surprise."

"I thought we agreed that sarcasm is my thing."

"Last time I checked, sarcasm is a 'one for all, all for one' thing."

"And that's another thing: What did I tell you about using lines which my homeworld uses?"

"Couldn't say really; it was so bad I tuned it out."

"You know, I could just hang you up from another lamp post."

"Wouldn't be a bad idea."

Nathaniel chuckled and turned away from his friend and looked down at Ratchet.

" _Hang in there._ _H_ _elp is on the way._ "

The room fell into a near-silence, the monitor making the only noise with it's constant beeping. A few minutes passed before Terin added his own noise by commenting on the others' arrival. This drew Nathaniel's attention to the window. Flipping the latches, he raised the window and called out to them. "Hey! How do like my surprise?"

Pointing to the lamp post, Quincy called back, asking, "This is you?"

"Yeah! Do you like it?"

"Could I ask the meaning of this?"

"Traitorous spies, captain! Now head on up so we can take care of Ratchet!"

They all exchanged looks before heading into the hospital. Nathaniel closed the window and flipped the latches. "That got their attention," the psychic said, smiling at his own handiwork.

"It sure did," Terin replied, heading toward the door. Opening it, he kicked down the attached door stopper and leaned against the front side of the door, giving him a good view of the hall. A minute or so passed before a familiar laugh could be heard. The elevator opened up and Clank, Talwyn, Quincy, Faze, June, and Oksolot entered the hallway. Once they reached 14-Z, they all exchanged greetings with Terin and together, the group entered the room, closing the door behind them.

"Here you go, doc," Captain Grayman said, waving a hand at the unconscious lombax. Dr. Rinis set his briefcase down and began his inspection. Raising an arm, the hand fell back down; testing for reflexes, there was no response. There was no feeling, anywhere, at all.

"Faze, June, it's time," Dr. Rinis announced after he concluded his analysis. Facing the others, he asked if they would leave.

"Sure thing," the psychic answered without pause, vacating the room. Terin was just as quick to answer but didn't yet leave the room. He watched Captain Grayman comply and leave, but then the lombax turned to face Talwyn and Clank who stood rooted to the spot. Walking back, he placed a hand on Talwyn's shoulder. "I know your concern. But leave this in the hands of experts. They have my faith. Could you give them yours?"

"Don't worry. For all of your sakes, I'll see to it that Ratchet is back on his feet in no time," Dr. Rinis added, hoping his words would give some measure of comfort.

Nodding slightly, she cast her sight downward, calling the small robot's name. "Clank?"

He turned away, leaving the room without a word. Talwyn was quick to follow as well. Facing the surgeon, Terin went from caring to serious. "You heard me doc, now make it happen."

"We'll have to get set up, wheel in him into the emergency room, bring in more doctors… yes, it will happen."

"That's what I like to hear." Walking toward the door, he left the room behind. Taking the elevator down, the ex-major met with the others in the lobby where they were talking about current events, each trying to take their worry off of Ratchet's approaching surgery. They all greeted the lombax when they saw him enter and he quickly joined in on their conversation.

"So, where were we?" Terin inquired to all.

"We were talking about all information we have on our enemies," Clank answered for all.

"Yeah, so let's see…" Nathaniel began, trailing off.

"Apparently, we know the commander is a Fell-Enk named Balloch," Talwyn supplied.

"He sends agents to try and kill us," the psychic filled in.

"Which, as I've told Talwyn, leaves you five on your own. I could, however, try to pull a few strings and see what I could come up with," Quincy said, drawing a response from Clank.

"That would be most appreciated, but you should also remember that we were just passing by."

"Which so far has turned into a long-term stay. As far as I'm concerned, you can all count me in."

"Thank you captain."

"We know that Balloch answers to one person, someone who goes by the identity of 'Liege'," Terin started, surprising the markazian.

"How—"

"—I've already briefed him on the situation. He's been brought up to speed," the psychic said with a slight smirk.

"Alright then—" It was here that Talwyn glared at Nathaniel. "—that is true. However, that seems to be all we know about him."

"Nathaniel said that you and Clank found a device that contained a lot of observations about who the agents were working for," Terin added.

"A holo-recorder, yes," Clank said, reaching into his chest compartment and pulling out the small device. Passing it to Terin, the lombax activated it and began going through the audio recordings.

"There," Talwyn said. The recording in question was one that Nathan had cut short back on the broken flagship.

" _Sannabrich, da bur ren qual?_ "

"Just checking on your progress. How's did the Kreeli Expedition go?"

Pausing the recording, Terin shot a quizzical look at Nathan which was met by the psychic's stern nod. "Yes Terin. Liege was the one spying on us. I'm _not_ happy about that."

Pressing play, they group listened intently to the rest of it.

" _Malk kinu._ "

"Were his words right after all?"

" _Bar._ "

"Then Travel The Days does exist. What are your orders?"

" _Jornik. Fa yur?_ "

"He is currently scouting Polaris... said something about finding Ratchet and Clank."

A beeping started just as Balloch finished his sentence. They all assumed it must of been an incoming call, hearing as how Balloch told Liege that 'speak of evil'. Answering it, he asked, "Did you find them?"

"I did. Gather the strike team, tell them to head their way to the Nundac Asteroid Ring. I will personally lead the attack on these two," Jornik ordered. The sound of engines turning over could be heard.

"Who are "these two" you speak of?"

"Ratchet and Clank." With that, communications were cut off.

"Kinu, uro lir ur fuml da ur-ra maraf," Liege said. "Ma-lo bohx je korkus enfine Polaris. Q-lul sivr syltarik hajt."

"Are you sure? You may not be within Federation reach but—"

The recorder slipped out of Terin's hand and fell to the floor where it made a 'thud'. The message interrupted by Nathan shooting a psionic beam at it, exploding it into many pieces.

"I knew he sounded familiar," Terin said, looking at the broken parts.

"You care to share?" Nathaniel inquired. "Because I'm having a _really_ hard time trying to understand what _just_ happened."

"I think we just figured out the entire scope of our enemy," Quincy duly noted, taking in the others' expressions.

"Sure we did," Nathan agreed with angry sarcasm before abruptly turning about-face and leaving the hospital.

"Well, looks like I have pull a few more strings then," Captain Grayman added. Facing the others, he clasped his hands together and asked, "Well, as some of you may or may not know, we're about two or three hours away from daylight and I'm sure we've all had a rough night. I have to get back to work soon so I'll be heading back to space but, if any of you are interested, you're all welcome to stay at my apartment while you're here."

"That's quite the offer captain, but I'm good with it," Terin stated. "Clank, Talwyn, what do you two think?"

"Sounds good."

"That is very generous of you sir."

"Well then, home it is," Quincy announced, leaving the trio behind. As Talwyn and Clank moved to follow Grayman out the door, Terin squatted and picked up the broken pieces of the holo-recorder before getting back up and following the others out, throwing the pieces away as he passed a trash bin.

"Terin, what about Nathaniel?" Clank asked as the silver-furred lombax caught up with them.

"He'll be fine, although I'm pretty shocked myself."

"Who among the Federation would know of your searching for the artifact?" Talwyn inquired, falling into step with the Zoni and lombax.

"Very few. Torskov, Keer, the Noss brothers, Kard... Tanstar."

"Tanstar?" Clank asked, the familiarity of the name drawing his attention.

"Yeah. His name is Zalirus Tanstar, one of the eleven elders of the Tribunal."

"Wait, I thought all Tribunal leaders were either killed in battle or executed after defeat?" Talwyn inquired, sharing a brief exchange with Clank before facing the lombax again.

"That's true… almost. One was spared. But only because Kard reformed the Supernatural Ring and argued for Tanstar's release."

"Why?"

"For the sake of an old friendship," the lombax finished, stopping at the hospital gate which led outside of the property's borders. Captain Grayman had stopped a taxi and signaled the others to get in. When everyone was inside, Quincy told the driver to take them to the Northern Sky Apartment Complex.

"Sit back everyone," the driver commanded while adjusting the rear-view mirror. Noting that the voice was familiar, Clank looked at the rear-view and noticed that it was the same driver who took them to the hospital in the first place.

"You were the one who first brought us here," Clank started at once. Chuckling, the driver looked in the mirror and nodded to the Zoni warbot.

"You know this guy Clank?" Terin questioned.

"I know that he drove us here," Clank replied.

"And now it looks like I'm taking you to the finest complex on Platform 1," the driver said, slowly pulling his way out of the parking lot.

"What are the odds of that happening?" Terin asked aloud to no one, yet still hoping he'd get some sort of answer.

"You do not want to know," Clank simply replied.

It was good enough for him.

 _ **R &C**_

The psychic was currently outside the walls of Platform 1. Turns out that instead of a giant door which seemed a little too ridiculous, there were a series of smaller doors which led into a long passage that snaked its way inside the walls of the city, and with that, he was able to finally find a door which led outside. Before he opened said door, the psychic remembered what Captain Grayman said about the air being suitable for all races. He decided to test that the validity of that statement. Turning the hatch on the door, it unlocked and Nathaniel pushed it open. In an instant, he was greeted by a fierce, howling wind which blew furious cold around him.

He'd forgotten about that.

" _Now come on, we should be heading inside._ _N_ _ights on Alnek are brutal, especially all the way up here._ " The recent memory stung his mind as the wind stung his face, forcing him to pull up his hood. Beside that small detail, Quincy was right, he could breathe all the way up here. It was amazing.

But that detail could only push the true reason why he was out here for so long, and it didn't take long for the psychic to recall what happened in the hospital. In truth, while the information that Liege was once within Federation grasp very much surprised him, he couldn't be so for long. The mysterious leader has displayed an almost uncanny skill at avoiding big people from catching on to what he doing.

It reminded the psychic of someone he knew once.

" _Thank you Valis…_ _you're still a jerk_ _though._ "

That last part Nathaniel added almost as an afterthought. If he was honest, Valis could of been another ally in this whole matter. In any case, he needed to know more about Liege and what he was doing so close to home. But first, as he had told Terin, his 'Psychic Utilities': abilities such as Telepathy, Mind Control, Clairvoyance, psionic energy manipulation, and things such as puzzle solving and instant understanding were all in a tired state. As of now, the psychic was looking for a place where he could meditate and restore them to full capacity. With that accomplished, he would be refreshed and more useful when Balloch and Dornavan come in three days.

" _Ahh, that's what I forgot to mention,_ " the psychic thought to himself. " _I'll just tell them later._ "

In order to be near the others, he had originally opted to stay up in the city and meditate... but the city was quite on the loud side. Outside wasn't any better either however, being on the more antagonistic side with its incessant, bitter chill that assaulted Nathaniel. Walking over to the rim of the massive floating structure, the psychic looked over the edge and saw a pitch-black abyss.

" _I guess it's better than nothing._ "

A simple leap sent the psychic over the edge and into the darkness below. Moments later, a bright dot of purple illuminated the area and Nathan slowly lowered himself onto a rugged mountain slope. Scuffing his boot against the snow, Nate looked up and saw the edge of Platform 1 far above him. Returning his gaze to the slope, he set out, heading downward, levitating above the snow. As time went on, the psychic found himself inside a powder-capped forest, far from where he started.

Several rapid crunches froze the psychic, making him look around. Flaring his aura, Nathaniel could make out several shadows moving amongst the endless wood. Eyes taking on a familiar purple, he tried to locate the mysterious creatures.

" _ **Haven't my teachings taught you anything?**_ " An echo called out, startling the psychic, causing him to cast a psionic ball into the wood before he dissipated it.

" _Leviathan!_ _Y_ _ou could of warned me,_ " the psychic thought furiously into his own mind.

" _ **You would have just put me away like you always do. I decided to take matters into my own hands.**_ "

" _Then_ _t_ _hat's probably a good reason why I put you away so often_ ," Nathan said, hoping that 'Leviathan' would get the hint and go away.

" _ **Not when I know you were going to call for me.**_ "

Nathaniel sighed. It was right. He was going to call for 'Leviathan' to help him with his meditation. The last thing he needed was to be was caught flat-footed.

" _Alright, you win. But first, a_ _suitable_ _place to begin would be helpful._ _Can you take over?_ "

" _ **I can.**_ "

" _Okay then, here I am._ "

The exchange of consciences was without pain and physical change. However, when the exchange was complete, Nathaniel acted completely different. This wasn't the mind of the psychic we all know… for this was the mind of the Leviathan: a sentient entity inside of the psychic and the source of his powers. It had lain dormant in him for years until it was awakened seven years ago, on the day he had destroyed the Tribunal once and for all. From that moment till now, the two consciences had played the exchange games sparingly. Because the entity—while powerful—was more creature than man. And the psychic didn't like that at all.

The first thing Leviathan did when he had taken over was vanish, reappearing far from the mountains on the plains near the edge of the ranges. Standing at the top of a hill, Leviathan raised one of Nathaniel's arms. Tendrils of purple wisps encircled it. Extending its arm, he shot an energy beam from the palm of his hands, burning a trench around the circumference of the hill. Slowly, Nathan's eyes became a bright purple and soon was levitating above the ground. Head bowed low, arms hanging by his side and his legs pointed downward, he resembled a pencil of sorts.

" _ **I'm ready.**_ " 'Leviathan' said, its telepathic voice a bellowing echo.

" _Alright, just remember to switch back when you're done,_ " Nathan warned before receding deep within his own subconscious.

" _ **I will,**_ _ **d**_ _ **on't worry. It seems like you've been taking care of yourself lately.**_ "

No voice returned reply, leaving the entity all alone to complete the meditation.

 _ **R &C**_

"We're here," Captain Grayman announced as the cab pulled up to the Northern Sky Complex gate. The driver punched in the access code and the gate opened before them, allowing the driver to ease the taxi inside.

Terin stirred in his seat and sat himself up, yawning. "Well, that took awhile."

"Yeah. Figure we'd take a scenic route, though I didn't know know the backseat would start sawing logs."

"You'd said it yourself: 'We had a long night'."

Quincy didn't reply, opting instead to shoot the lombax a 'really' look. Said lombax smiled and jokingly saluted in return.

"Besides, the only view is buildings. Not exactly scenic," Talwyn added, earning a look of her own from the Raynarn captain.

Parking the cab into the first available space, the driver held his hand open and recieved four red orbs. Palming them, he thrusted them into his pocket and bid the captain farewell as Quincy opened the door. Following behind them, Clank, Talwyn and Terin exited the cab and walked with him up a set of stairs to the second floor. Once they were up there, Captain Grayman headed toward the first door along the wall on the right. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a set of keys. Fingering through them, he came to the right one and put it in the keyhole. The door unlocked and Quincy turned the handle, opening the door.

They immediately stepped into the foyer: a white-walled, hardwood, rectangular room which led straight into the living area (Or dining room if one turned left upon entering). Hanging on the walls were pictures of uniformed allonians, some ceremonial or decorate while others were those more ready for duty.

"Family?" Terin inquired, pointing toward the pictures.

"Yep," Quincy affirmed, walking into the living room: a large open space, illuminated through the windows by the city sky-light. A dark and round wooden table dominated the space. On it sat no less than a dozen of various papers. Behind it, wrapping around the back-right corner of the wall was a tan colored sectional. At both ends were small coffee tables on which lamps stood. Next to the right table, built into the wall, was an electric fireplace, currently off. Above it was a mantle, holding small statues and certificates.

"This place isn't much; you'll find that it's more of a rest stop then home," Quincy announced as the other three took a moment to look around and wander into other rooms.

"Still, it's nice," Talwyn replied from within the dining area.

"I agree," Clank said, walking into the kitchen.

"Thanks."

"Hey cap, who's Erika and Seth?" Terin inquired, pointing to a certificates.

"My siblings. You're looking at an award we'd gotten a few years back."

Walking up to the mantle, Quincy took the award in his hands and stared at the writing. Taking a hint, Terin left the living room and met Clank in another room which the lombax took to be the office. While not a large room, Terin wouldn't call it small either. The room had no windows and was thus lit up by a ceiling light located in the center of the room. Opposite the entry was a sealed cabinet, finely polished with an antique finish. Adjacent to it was a neatly cleaned, black colored desk which rivaled the height of the Zoni robot. The drawers—two big and three small, positioned on the right and left side respectively—were closed shut. Simple brass handles were screwed onto each one. A three wheeled task chair's seat sat comfortable inside the space between the drawers.

A flat-panel monitor sat on top, up against a desk addition which stood on the perimeter of the desk. Said monitor showed a view of an unknown forest landscape with the sun's rays filtering through the canopy, giving the greenery a lively feel. Next to the monitor stood a stack of trays, barely filled with necessary accessories such as notebooks, staplers, envelopes, papers, folders et cetera. The desk addition, a towering piece of work, while nearly scraping the ceiling, matched the color of the desk. Empty cubby holes took prominence of the furniture piece. The only object there was a picture. Roughly the dimensions of a standard textbook, the picture showed three allonians, two male and one female, all casually dressed.

"Hey Terin, Clank," a distinctive voice greeted from behind. Turning around, Terin and Clank soon faced Talwyn who was standing in the doorway with a towel draped over her left shoulder.

"What is that for?" Clank inquired, pointing to the cherry-colored cloth.

"I was planning to wash up, you know, wind down."

"Good idea. We've had a long day," Terin affirmed. "Where's Captain Grayman?"

"I don't know. Last I saw, he was in the living room with you."

"Not anymore. I took a hint and left him looking at an old award."

"You don't need worry," a voice sounded down the hall, causing all of them to look toward the noise. Soon, the young, green-eyed face of Captain Grayman poked its appearance. "I was just laying things out for you. And Clank, how are you feeling?"

"I am feeling all right," the small robot said. "Although I would like a charge."

"I'd figure you would, but I'm not sure what will work for you. I don't have any charging docks."

"I believe we can make do for now."

"Alright."

With that, Quincy disappeared down around the corner. Facing the markazian, Terin told her to go on ahead and that he'll follow suit when she's done. Nodding in agreement, Talwyn left the lombax and Zoni there in the office.

"Well, I think we should take our leave and call it a night. What do you think?" The lombax asked, casting his gaze downward to see Clank. Making eye contact, the small robot agreed. Together, they both ventured out the door, shutting the light off behind them.

* * *

 **AN: (12-6-17) Edited. #2 (12-11-17)**

 **Translations:**

 **"Sannabrich, da bur ren qual?" = "Commander, what is the reason for this?"**

 **"Malk kinu." = "Rather well."**

 **"Bar." = "Indeed."**

 **"Jornik, fa yur?" = "Jornik, where is he?"**

 **"Kinu, uro lir ur fuml da ur-ra maraf." = "Well, it seems like he knows what he's doing."**

 **"Ma-lo bohx je korkus enfine Polaris." = "Don't bother with our forces inside Polaris."**

 **"Q-lul sivr syltarik hajt." = "I'll send something over."**


	16. Tides

"We've crossed into Polaris sir," a soldier addressed, saluting to Balloch. Meanwhile, Dornavan stood to the side of the commander's office, juggling small fireballs in his hands. Balloch, was hunched over his desk, looking over several papers. Never lifting his gaze, Balloch replied, "Alright, keep me updated. Also, get into contact with our forces here—whatever is left—and tell them to join us."

"Yes, sir."

The soldier left the room, shutting the door behind him. Dornavan fizzled the flames and voiced a question. "So, you're mad aren't you?"

"You think?" The Fell-Enk seethed, his voice tainted by anger.

"Darten must of done something stupid," the mage agent suggested, letting his vision sweep the room. Nothing special could be seen, unless one knew all the switches that triggered secret panels. Walking over, Dornavan placed his hands on the desk and leaned in, looking over the papers. Nothing caught his interest.

"Well, not only that, but the group at large was discovered. Nathaniel was stronger than I anticipated," Dornavan added.

Looking up, Balloch made eye contact with the agent and held the gaze. "Liege was able to gather information on Nathaniel and Terin. I shared it with you, Kisma and Valis. Are you saying that you underestimated the psychic's strength?" The commander questioned.

"I may have."

"That was a foolish mistake," he said, curling his hands into fists, crinkling the papers. "They now know that we're going to be there in nearly two days time."

"Still, there is always the fail-safe that I installed into Alnek's defense network."

Balloch dropped his stare and sat down, burying his head into one of his hands and sighed, agitated. "That had better work."

"Trust me, it will."

A ringing noise echoed throughout the room. Dornavan pressed a button on the intercom and spoke, "Dr. Yolnan, what is it this time?"

No answer. Instead, static was the only reply. Exchanging questioning glances, both men left the room and headed toward Yolnan's lab. When they arrived, they were surprised to see neither door nor empty lab. Peeking his head in, Balloch glanced about.

"Dornavan, you see him?"

"No. Think something happened?"

"I'm beginning to think so."

Together, they both entered the lab proper. Holding up a hand, the mage agent muttered something under his breath. Soon, his hand began to emanate a strange minty glow. There was no noticeable change which took place and Dornavan shook his hand in annoyance, dissipating the spell.

"Figured that wouldn't work," the agent said, placing a hand onto his chin.

"What were you trying to do?" The commander inquired, taking a seat on a nearby chair.

"Detecting his life force. Nothing."

"You think he succeeded then?"

"I'm beginning to thi—"

Kneeling down, Dornavan wiped the floor and looked at his hand. Rubbing his hands together, static began to circle his fingers until his hands were forced apart, quantum energy sparking brightly before the agent disappeared in a blinding flash of light. When it receded, Balloch stood upright, staring in awe at what just transpired.

 _ **R &C**_

Nathaniel met Captain Grayman as he was leaving the landing pad on which the heroes arrived at earlier the previous day.

"Captain," the psychic started, throwing up a quick salute. "You're going back up?"

"Yeah. Duty calls," Quincy answered, climbing aboard a carrier.

"Mind if I tag along, I've got to make a long distance call to make?"

"By all means, tag along."

"Thanks."

An allonian trooper clad in a midnight blue uniform closed the door behind them and signaled the pilot. Acknowledging the act, the pilot pressed ignition and the ship took off through the coloring atmosphere. Looking out the glass windows, the psychic watched as the ship went off toward the rising sun while ascending higher and higher; the light pink hue mixing with dark blue that would soon recede. Adjusting his head, he made out the landmass below Platform 1 shrinking while the massive, encircling ocean became visual. He had to admit… this was an amazing planet.

A rather loud and abrupt 'ahem' snapped Nathaniel out his gazing. Turning around, he threw up a salute and said, "Hey captain, you need me?"

"No, I was just trying to get your attention for the last minute or so," Quincy stated accusingly. Rubbing the back of his neck, Nathan sheepishly claimed that his attention was being taken up by something rather amazing.

"Yes, Alnek is 'rather amazing'."

"So, what did you want my attention for?" Nathan asked, turning to face the captain.

"Just a few things," Quincy began. "Please, take a seat."

"Okay then," the psychic answered, seating himself on a bench, his back leaning against the wall. "Shoot."

"First: where were you for the past two hours or so?"

"I was meditating. Something I have to do every so often."

"Alright. Care to explain the purple lamp post?"

"Sure. As I said, 'traitorous spies'... although 'traitorous' could be probably taking it too far."

"They were spying on us?"

"Not exactly. See, Darten—the leader of the group—was caught by Terin overhearing our conversation with Talwyn over Ratchet's condition. I guess he thought that he could make a break for Ratchet, try to kill him with no one around." Nathaniel grinned before continuing. "Never stood a chance."

"I see. Then why... no how, did you know about the others?"

"Simple. I read Darten's mind and discovered that others were in on the plan."

"Ok then. However, you said that 'traitorous' was too far an accusation. Do you mean to tell me that they were under the control of someone?"

"Absolutely."

Resting his head in a hand, Quincy asked if they were still there.

"No, they've been taken care of. Plan on sending Terin and the others to go see them."

"Got it. Well, if you don't mind my asking, but who do plan on calling?"

"Some friends from the Federation; they're not answering my telepathic contacts."

"Hmm, okay then. When we arrive at The Genesis, I'll see what you can do."

"Thanks."

Minutes passed by in relative silence before a trooper walked up to Captain Grayman, announcing their arrival at The Genesis.

"You're dismissed," Quincy told the trooper. Facing Nathaniel, he asked if the psychic was ready to go.

"Yeah. First however, I've got to make a short range call."

"To whom?"

"Terin Arc."

 _ **R &C**_

A ringing sundered the sweet peace and quiet of the living room where the silver and green furred lombax known as Terin Arc was. After washing up the night before, he let Talwyn take the master, opting for the sectional in the living room. Sleepily, he raised his arm to his face, allowing his nose to activate the watch he had encircling his right wrist. Mornings were something this lombax was not fond of. "Sleepy here," Terin began, his voice still super groggy.

"Rise and shine bud," the psychic said, letting the tiniest of chuckles slip through.

"Later, I'm snug right now," Terin replied, pressing the button again with his nose before settling back on the couch, letting sleep overtake him.

 _ **R &C**_

"Well, that didn't work," Quincy commented, watching the psychic pull his index finger away from his ear.

"It's okay. Just pray though that he hasn't fallen back asleep," Nathaniel advised, a mischievous smile making its way onto his face.

"Why?"

"You'll see," Nathan said, his irises taking on a familiar purple coloring.

 _ **R &C**_

He awoke with a start, throwing the covers off of him. He then sat up on the couch, feet resting against the hardwood floor. Abruptly Terin stood before beginning to dance. At first it was small: a head nod here, snapping there; moving in tune to a song that only he and the psychic knew. Before long, Nathaniel had Terin doing full-body dances, starting with a simple moonwalk on the table, sending the loose papers flying all over the place. When he believed Terin had done enough, Nate made the lombax backflip off the table landing with a loud 'BANG'.

"Hey Terin," Talwyn started, annoyed over the loud ruckus the lombax was unintentionally making. "What's going… on… here?" At first she was utterly surprised at the lombax's completely crazy behavior, but it soon dissolved into a roll-on-the-floor laugh out loud moment as she watched Terin bust out a crazy breakspin with him colliding with the wall. This however, didn't seem to faze the lombax as he got back up and continued his mindless dancing. It soon reached its peak when Terin placed his hands at his sides and began clicking his heels against the floor.

A familiar giggle added to the overall noise in the air. It was then that Terin was released from the psychic's control and the lombax collapsed on the floor with a crash, panting. Lifting his head, Terin saw his friends hiding their amused expressions with little to no avail. Shaking his head in exasperation, he stood up and cursed the psychic.

" _Well then, maybe you'll do as I say now?_ " A lone thought reverberated in the lombax's mind.

" _Nathan, did you really have to do that?_ " He thought angrily, hands balled into fists, his face forming a scowl.

" _Oh yeah._ "

" _You're so dead._ "

" _Later, I'm living right now._ " A sharp laugh echoed throughout his thoughts as the psychic left the lombax's head. He stood there, motionless, for several minutes as a death-like silence filled the once jovial air. Finally, Terin took a heavy breath and turned his head toward the others, giving them a look of submission before asking, "Can I trust you that this never leaves the four of us?"

They agreed to keep it amongst themselves before helping the lombax with cleaning up the mess he'd made. When that was done, Talwyn and Clank walked over to the kitchen while Terin went around the house opening the blinds. After jerking string after string in an ever-increasing anger, Talwyn advised Clank to go talk to him.

Meeting the lombax in the dining room, he placed a robotic hand on Terin's arm, making him flinch in surprise. "Excuse me Terin, but I advise you to be careful with those strings. Remember, we are here only on the goodwill of a friend."

At the Zoni's word, Terin relaxed his grip on the string, the blinds halfway between resting on the sill and suspended in the air. Pulling out a chair, Clank gestured for Terin to take a seat.

"Thanks," he whispered, sitting himself down. Grabbing the robot, Terin sat him on the edge of the table, letting his feet dangle off.

"Are you ok?" Clank began, his green optics showing sympathy and concern for the lombax.

"For the most part," Terin said, shrugging. "He just took the prank too far."

"Too far?" Talwyn said, entering the room, taking a seat in another chair.

"Oh, don't get any wrong ideas. Normally, I'm more than capable dealing with Nathaniel's antics. This time, however, it's not what I did, it's what he did."

"What did he do?" Inquired the Zoni robot.

Looking away, he spoke after few seconds of silence. "He took away my will." Pushing his chair back, he stood up and walked toward the kitchen. Talwyn and Clank watched the lombax with a mixture of surprise and shock as Terin left the room.

"Don't want to sound like I'm uh... fat or anything, but I'm hungry."

Opening the fridge, Terin took a look inside before shutting the door and opening the freezer. Slamming it shut when he didn't see anything interesting, he made his way over to the pantry. Pulling one of the doors open, he did a quick check on each row of shelving.

"Well," Terin said, closing the door. "We have options—granted I have no idea what they are. Do you?"

From inside the living room, both markazian and robot shared a knowing look before Clank responded positively.

"We do."

"Then let's get started."

 _ **R &C**_

He sat up, dazed. Blinking, he tried to clear the hazy vision he was having. This, however, was unsuccessful. Taking a deep breath, he stood up, holding out his arms for balance as he swayed to and fro. Succeeding, he cupped his hands together and called to the midst.

No answer.

"Hello!" He called again, rubbing his eyes, trying again to clear the haze.

"Don't worry, the blur will disappear soon Dornavan." A voice called out. The mage picked up the accent instantly.

"...Doc?"

"It is I."

"Where are we?"

"Valid question. Couldn't say really, however, another valid question would be: _w_ _hen_ are we?"

"... _W_ _hen_?"

Dr. Yolnan nodded his head in agreement. "I did it. Finally succeeded with the Aeon Remover."

Dornavan was speechless. The suit phased him, doc and practically his whole lab into another place. Or time... if one could even call it that.

"Can you see clear now?" Yolnan asked, seemingly moving closer to the mage.

"Hold on," Dornavan said, raising his hands to his face. The bright ruby colored gloves that he wore were still the same shade as they always were. Taking a look around, Dornavan saw Dr. Yolnan standing a few paces in front of him. Behind him was the missing lab. The Aeon Remover was currently laying backside-up on a long counter with various tool strewn about it. Beyond this small area was a massive gray-blue wall of goo which obstructed much of their view.

"Yes, I can see clearly... if the glob is supposed to be here." Dornavan stated, returning his head to face the doctor.

"It is... oddly enough," Yolnan replied, moving his arm, gesturing to their strange borders.

"Meaning?"

"Look around you, how far can you see?"

"Not that far."

"And if you were to guess, how big would you say this area is?"

"Seeing as how most of your lab is accounted for and set up I would... oh." The answer donned on the mage and Dornavan walked around Yolnan, moving for the Aeon Remover.

"Don't touch it," came the doctor's sharp warning. "It's leaking."

Dornavan stopped in his tracks. Facing the doctor abruptly, he shot him a questioning look only for Yolnan to shrug in shoulders in an 'I don't know' manner.

"You don't know why?"

"No. But I do know it to not be dangerous."

"That a plus... I guess."

"Agreed. It's also unresponsive."

"Meaning you can't get home?"

"Neither of us can."

It took a second for the doctor's words to sink in, but when they did, Dornavan swore. Placing two fingers on his head, he bowed his head and spoke in an indistinguishable dialect. A white film started encasing his two fingers, quickly spreading over his hand and down his arm. Dr. Yolnan watched the mage with curiosity as the film quickly encased the mage. When the spell was complete, Dornavan walked over to the suit and, despite the warnings given by Yolnan, began to fiddle with it. It was then that understanding dawned on the doctor.

" _A protective field, huh. Figures._ "

Looking up, Dornavan called him over. "I'll need your help if we're going to get out of here."

"On my way."

He made his way to the counter opposite of Dornavan. Here the mage gave Yolnan the same film covering he had, protecting him from the leakage of the suit.

"Despite being non-lethal, I'm not taking any chances," Dornavan started, picking up a taser gun. "Now, let's get to work."

 _ **R &C**_

The bridge of The Genesis was a hive of activity as Captain Grayman and Nathaniel walked in laughing. Several defense force troopers and officers saluted to the captain as he and Nathaniel made their way up to the bridge's lookout. Stepping up to the control panel, Quincy signaled to a trooper to bring up long-range comm and make a call to a Federation flagship named 'Fatesealer'. On the trooper's panel was a small monitor that beeped. Next, Quincy told the trooper to translate it over to the big screen once the call was answered. Afterward, Quincy left the lookout to check other stations and personnel on the bridge, leaving the psychic alone to remain.

A flash, however, caught his attention as the central screen lit up. Another bridge—not so dissimilar to this one—was seen. It was a bridge the psychic knew all too well. And the one who received the call was also no stranger as well. A face that revealed to have seen many years was visible, along with set of thick black glasses on the bridge of his large, round nose. The glasses protected his squarish, dim blue eyes. A tassel of thin gray hair covered his head while barely made progress beyond his wrinkled forehead. The man was also dressed in a simple yet vibrant golden robe lined with a contrasting royal blue. A huge smile broke out upon his face seeing who it was that called.

"Nathaniel, well I'll be—"

"—surprised, Kard?"

"That works."

"Always has been, hasn't it?"

The man who answered was none other than the Magistrate: Quinlin Kard. Looking down from his side, the norvalik ex-doctor-now-wizard noted that Nathaniel was calling him from Raynarn and asked about the hunt.

"Good so far... if you don't count our already several stops."

Kard's forehead further creased in question when he processed what Nathaniel said.

"Stops?"

"Yeah, two major ones. Both ended up with our team in hospitals."

"Someone's following you?"

"Yeah. That's what I'm here calling. I need information."

"Sure, what do you need?"

Before the psychic could voice his question, a red blur appeared on screen before stopping next to the Magistrate. His entire being was covered inside of a full-body red armor complete with a matching full helmet. A yellow outline surrounded the reflective visor and went down a line to the base of the helmet's neck. A deep orange circular emblem on the upper left side of his chest showed a white winged-boot, indicating this person to be none other than Aven Noss. Raising his index, he pressed a button which retracted the helmet, revealing a face much younger in comparison to that of the good Magistrate. Thick brown bangs reached eye-level as he two-fingered saluted Nathaniel, making the psychic nod and return one of his own salutes.

"Hey Aven, how's life on the fun side?"

"The quality dropped off after you and Terin left. But it's nothing I can't handle of course."

Aven shot Nathan one of his signature smirks prompting the psychic to roll his eyes. Putting a finger to his head, Nathan shook his head before speaking again. "That's interesting. Where's the Commander?"

"Bro," Aven scratched his head in thought before answering. "I don't know. Probably training I'd bet."

"Can't say I'm surprised."

"I know. So anyway, what gives? Says here you're calling all the way from Raynarn. That's not too far from Polaris."

At this, another voice made another man known. "Seems Aven, that Nathaniel wished to contact someone who could help him deal with some new developments," Captain Grayman said, standing at attention next to Nathaniel, his hands behind his back.

"What new developments?" Aven asked.

"Before you interrupted, as I was about to tell Kard, I have confirmation that someone inside our circle betrayed us."

Instantly, both Federation members looked utterly surprised. An uncomfortable silence took hold of the air and the psychic let more moments go by before speaking again.

"I don't know who but, whoever did betray us, they've made a formidable enemy. As I speak, Ratchet is in the hospital undergoing surgery for an injured nerve/bone... I'm not entirely too clear on Lombax physiology. And that's not counting two more minor injuries thus far."

"Who's responsible for this?" Kard demanded, slamming a fist on the railing.

Breaking eye-contact, Nathan answered his question, sounding none too thrilled.

"I don't know. But what I wanted to know was if you Kard, or maybe you Aven, see a robed figure a while back. He had long crab-like claws and spoke a different language?"

"Can't say that I've seen someone who fits your description. I'll check with Zalirus and see if he's seen this stranger. Anything else we should know?" Kard asked, gesturing to Aven to go get Tanstar. Complying, the Accelerator sped away in the blink of an eye.

"Nothing of much importance comes to me right now so... I guess this is good-bye for now, probably for the last time. Tell the others I said 'hey' and I'll see them in fifteen."

Waving, Kard commanded the call to cease, blanking the terminal screen. Turning away, Nathaniel walked from the lookout and made his way through a door that opened at his approach, sidestepping crewmen to get by. While he watched the psychic go, Captain Grayman debated quickly to himself, mumbling before choosing to let Nathan be before facing the front, giving orders to the crew below.

* * *

 ** **AN: (12-7-17) Edited.****

 ** **So, to keep things similar here in the author notes, fellow author The White Guardian had long ago done renderings of the planets our heroes will visit once they reach the Tempalo Galaxy. If you're interested in seeing those, head over to his profile for the link to his Deviantart account where you can see the work he**** ** **did**** **.** ** **Just put the link in the search bar, press enter, and near the top of the page click on Gallery, then scroll down till the widget with 'To Travel The Days' shows. Voila!****


	17. Ratchet Is Awake

Various fantastic smells wafted through the kitchen as the other three heroes were putting the finishing touches on a quaint breakfast for themselves—well, at least for the two 'squishes'. Clank had something else earlier before he helped Talwyn and Terin make their lunch. All the while, they each exchanged tales from times that have long since gone by. Especially this one:

"Let me get this straight," Talwyn started, setting an empty plate down on the counter next to where the lombax was. "You actually dyed your fur cyan on a dare? That just doesn't sound like you."

"Just the triangles," Terin replied, washing a metal pan, the near hot water slightly irritating his hands. "I agree with you too. Even now it sounds unbelievable." Turning off the faucet, Terin grabbed a wash rag and began drying the pan. "Though it wasn't even close to what Jace did."

"I see. Oh, before I forget, there's your plate."

"I see it. Thanks."

Squatting, the lombax opened the lower cabinet, located next to the dishwasher and returned the pan back to it's place. Underneath the smaller pans...and next to the pots. Closing the cabinet, Terin stood back up and grabbed the empty plate. Making his way toward the dining room, he sat himself along the side of the table, adjacent to Clank while Talwyn sat at the head.

For lunch, they made Karamal: a 'typical choice of lunch for most allonians in Raynarn' according to what Clank had read. The end result was a nutty combination sandwich. Taking his, Terin took a second to give the sandwich an analytical look, the sandwich was quite the task, requiring much cooking, slicing, grating, and pestling.

"Doesn't look to bad. Hope it tastes better though." Taking a bite, Terin couldn't help but smile at their handiwork. "I'm satisfied."

"Well, when you have Clank as your walking, talking cookbook, things turn out rather well." Talwyn said, taking a bite of her own sandwich. She too was amazed.

"Yeah, plus..." Mumbling, Terin turned around and called for the little robot. He popped his head around the corner holding a digit to his mouth, signaling for the lombax to 'quiet down'. Surprised, Terin looked at the markazian while pointing to Clank whispering, "Who's he talking to?"

Shrugging, Talwyn pushed back her chair and stood up. Following suit, Terin walked out of the dining room finding Clank white-eyed and in conversation with an unknown identity on the other end.

"Alright doctor, we will see you soon," Clank said, ending the call. Turning around, the small robot saw the quizzical expressions of the other two.

"Was that..." Talwyn began. Clank simply nodded in agreement.

"What did he say?" Terin asked, pressing a button on his watch.

"Dr. Rinis says that the surgery was a success and the endoskeleton is in place. He says we can come over," Clank said, walking through the hall toward the door.

"Whoa, where are you going? We can't leave now," Terin called out, catching up to the robot.

"As a matter of fact, I am ready to go. However, I believe that _you_ have certain things you need to do," the Zoni said, pointing to the sandwich. Shooting the robot a look, Terin went back into the kitchen and sat down, taking another bite of the Karamal. A static noise caught his attention and Terin pressed his watch again, bringing the accessory up to his face.

"You called Terin?" The psychic asked, surprisingly agitated.

"Yeah… I did. What are you doing?" Terin demanded simply.

"Training. Valis landed blows he never should of gotten in. I'm a bit rusty," Nathaniel replied, grunting before the three of them heard a sharp cry followed by a growl.

"Sounds like your having trouble," Talwyn added, coming up behind Terin.

"Nng… ye… yeah." A loud crash followed Nathan's hard reply.

"Look, Terin, I can't keep this up. Gonna have to switch—"

" _—to telepathy,_ " the psychic finished. The physical contact between the two allies was lost, only to be replaced by a better contact. Closing his eyes, Terin opened his mind and began thinking, " _Okay then. Listen, Dr. Rinis called._ "

" _He did? What did he say?_ "

" _He says it was a success._ "

" _Can we see Ratchet?_ "

" _We can. We were just going to take care of a few last minute things here and then head back over there. I called to see if you could come._ "

" _Of course I'd come. You'll probably need me anyway._ "

" _For what?_ "

No response.

" _Nathan... for what?_ "

" _Huh... oh, sorry. These robots are hardcore._ "

" _I think I get that. Now why would we need you?_ "

" _I doubt Ratchet's awake and/or ready to talk at this point._ "

Terin mentally hit himself for missing that detail. Shaking his head, he thought to the psychic, " _Good point. Anyway, we'll see you later. Don't get yourself your own hospital stay._ "

Despite the fight that Nathan was in, the psychic managed to laugh at his friend's remark. " _Understood. I'm out._ " With that, the contact was broken. Facing the dining room, Terin walked toward the table and sat back down, grabbing his Karamal before taking another bite out of his. He hurriedly chewed and swallowed before he looked to Talwyn and nodded toward her sandwich, silently suggesting that she should eat too.

She nodded, taking her place in the seat where her Karamal was. Politely yet quickly they ate, and soon the lombax was grabbing both his and Talwyn's empty plates.

"Hey, I'll clear. Can you two look around and see if there's anything we missed?"

As Clank and Talwyn left and went about the house, Terin entered the kitchen with the two plates in his hands. He set them in the sink and he then proceeded to remove his gloves. He turned the faucet on and moved it to the left, allowing warm water to run. He quickly doused his hands to test the temperature. Satisfied, he pulled his hands back, giving them a quick shake so as to remove excess water. Opening the cabinet under the sink, Terin pulled out a bottle of soap. In one hand he popped opened the lid and in the other hand, grabbed the sponge. He poured a little of the yellow liquid over the sponge. Setting the soap bottle aside, the lombax began scrubbing the plates clean.

" _So, 'robots are hardcore', huh?_ "

 _ **R &C**_

" _Block here. Block there. Counter here. Block again. Counter there. ATTACK!_ "

These were the thoughts that coursed through the mind of the psychic as he tried to keep up the fight between him and three 'Highly Advanced Fighter Bots' as Captain Grayman put it. He'd hate to admit it, but the allonian was right. From all the years of experience he got from both the Federation and Terin, Nathaniel never met a technological match for his unaided combat skills. Despite the fact that there were three in front of him (and many more currently deactivated in storage), the psychic would have to admit the truth about these 'bots'. They were a match. A match he was currently losing against.

From behind a glass pane, Captain Quincy—along with a few other tech personnel—were watching in awe as the psychic held his own against the robot fighters. Looking over to the left, the allonian captain glanced at a few monitors. Each held small tidbits of information and each was rather astonishing if did say so himself. Crackling static brought back the captain's attention to the training area where he saw one of the robots busted against the wall opposite of the glass.

Despite this small victory, Quincy knew that Nathaniel couldn't keep it up much longer. After all, numbers don't lie. The psychic initially wanted five robots to contend with. However, Quincy was able to talk Nathan down to three after he had shown the psychic what he was asking for.

" _He either wins here and now or he_ _collapses_ _here and now. Only time will tell,_ " the captain thought, walking toward the entrance to the training hall. The door receded at Quincy's presence, only for him to be greeted by Nathaniel skidding his way across the floor, crashing against the wall.

"How's it going?" Quincy asked, flashing a rare smirk.

"Great," Nathan replied between gritted teeth. Looking up, he saw the bots closing in from his flanks. Quincy stepped out of the way as the robots moved closer, leaving the psychic to somersault forward away from them. Both bots reeled toward the psychic as their attacks were avoided leaving Nathaniel precious few moments to react.

Too late.

The blocks were only half-raised as the fighter bots slammed a dual blow on the psychic, knocking him down. Lying on the floor, teetering between conscious and unconscious, Nathaniel leveled a glare toward the opponents who stood over him.

"Enough!" Captain Grayman ordered. Both robots deactivated and remained upright.

"I had them," Nathan said as the allonian captain offered a hand toward the fallen psychic. While he took it, Quincy scoffed and looked away, all the while remarking in an air of sarcasm, "Right. Can you walk?"

"Yeah."

Together, the two made their way out of the training hall and headed for the locker room. Upon entering, Quincy picked out a canister of Nanotech off a nearby rack and tossed it toward the psychic. Catching the case, Nathan twisted the cap off, pouring the contents over his head, leaving the empty bottle aside when he was done with it.

"Feeling better?" Quincy asked, tossing him a towel where it landed draped over the psychic's face leaving his voice partly muffled. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Wash up and then meet me in the airlock, east wing. I'll have something for you before you leave."

"Alright then. See you later." Nathan said as the captain closed the door behind him.

 _ **R &C**_

"All right, are we done here?" Terin called out from next to the apartment's front door. After breakfast and the call, the three heroes tidied up, leaving the almost pristine home in pretty much the same condition, as though they'd never been there.

"I believe we are," Clank replied, who, followed by Talwyn, walked up next to the lombax.

Swinging the door open, Terin gestured for them to go on. After they passed by, Terin locked the bottom lock on the door and closed it shut, giving the handle a good shake.

"Well, here we go," the lombax muttered, following the others down the stairs. He met up with the others at the bottom where Clank held out three small, blue orbs in the palms of his hands.

"Here," he said, offering one to the others. Fingering it, the lombax noticed that it slightly pulsed a faint glow.

"What are these for?" Terin asked.

"Just like their red counterparts, these serve as civilian passes for transportation while on the Platforms." Clank answered.

"Cool."

It was here that the lombax noticed something important as the others turned and walked away toward the parking lot. "Hey wait, how do we arrange for transport out of here, we never called a cab. Heck, we don't know their _number_?!"

"According to Clank, Quincy arranged everything," Talwyn called back, never stopping her pace. Rolling his eyes, Terin grumbled about how 'Quincy should arrange everything then' before running to catch up with the others. Turning a corner, the lombax nearly crashed into the other two as they stood at the edge of the concrete, waiting.

"Did the captain say when the ride was going to be here?" Terin asked the Zoni robot. Without looking up at the lombax, Clank said that it should arrive any moment from now. As if on cue, a yellow hovercab pulled up. Clank moved to reach for the handle when the door swung open and a familiar voice rang out, chuckling. "Well, I'll be."

Shocked, the three heroes exchanged glances before Talwyn spoke for the group. " _Come on._ _What are the odds_?!"

"Whatever they were, they're bunk now. Seems like ol' Grayman has tasked me to escort your little group for as long as your stay."

"That's new," Terin said, closing the backseat once Talwyn and Clank secured themselves inside. Terin opened the shotgun side and hopped in. "So, do you know where we're headed then?'

"The hospital, right?" The driver asked of them, reaching over to the glove compartment.

"Indeed," Terin replied, pulling the seatbelt over his torso, buckling himself in. "And if possible, could you please make it snappy."

"I'll see what I can do," the driver said, pulling out a bright, platinum-colored device of sorts which bore resemblance of a handheld taser. However, this object had a great dip in the center of itself and poking its way out of the top was a trident-shaped tuning fork.

"Before we take off, I'll need each of you to hand over your 'Destination Orbs' for scanning," The driver said, turning to face the others. As each of them fished out the small blue spheres, Talwyn asked the point of this.

"Pure convenience. At every building on every Platform is a little machine that calls for a cab whenever one would need one. All you need are either a red, blue or green colored orbs and you'll be able to call for anyone that have your orb scanned."

"Interesting," Clank noted, taking his orb from the driver. "What is the green one for?"

"Outsiders. Usually diplomats or other officials of the like."

"That's quite the system," Terin voiced. Chuckling, he looked out the window and continued. "I remember Jace mentioning about how something like that should be done for parking on Fastoon."

"Sounds like Jace was your best friend on Fastoon," Talwyn said.

Smiling, Terin confirmed the markazian's statement with a simple 'yes'.

"I haven't really told you guys much about my home, have I?" Terin asked, rolling the window down as the driver pulled out of the complex and onto the winding stretch of a road that lead toward downtown. "Just a few funny moments here and there."

"Yes," came Clank's reply.

"Well, better remedy that," Terin started. "Hey driver, how long until we get to the hospital?"

"That depends. Scenic route or no scenic route?"

"Scenic route please."

"Okay then. And please, the name is Maten."

"Sure thing Maten." Turning toward Talwyn and Clank, Terin began recounting a piece of history… a piece of history soon subject to change.

 _ **R &C**_

The doors slid open at the approach of the psychic. Walking through the threshold, Nathaniel saw Captain Grayman standing next to the exit, encased inside a metal suit. Noticing the psychic, the captain called out with a voice that sounded programmed. "This is where you'll be getting out."

A purple aura slowly came into vision as Nathaniel stopped next to him. Quincy pulled out a small card and handed it to the psychic.

"What is this?" Nathan asked, fingering the bronze metal lining.

"It's Dr. Oksolot's payment."

Surprised, the psychic held the card out to the captain saying, "You can't do this. We'll pay if we have to, you've already been immensely helpful."

Shaking his head, Captain Grayman refused to take the card, saying that it's already been agreed on. Taking a breath, the psychic pocketed the card and faced the massive hatch. "Fine," Nathan began. "I see there's no point in arguing. Thanks for your help."

"No problem. Give my regards to the others," Quincy said, typing a code onto the hatch's control panel. Once the screen gave off a green glow, signaling the fact that the code was accepted, an alarm sounded off, mildly startling the psychic as the airlock began to open up. Nathaniel floated into the air as it started to filter out into the vacuum of space.

"And when you guys have seen to Ratchet, come back to the Genesis so that we can talk about fixing your ships!" Captain Grayman called out over the sound of the alarms blaring.

"Will do!" Replied the psychic before darting toward Alnek.

 _ **R &C**_

"I was seven the day Tachyon attacked Fastoon." Now, Terin was recounting the sad tale of the day the entire lombax race, and subsequently all of Polaris, would be changed for the worse. "The explosions went off downtown first, then the residential areas, then the capital building. The entire city, within the span of five minutes—" Terin continued, holding up his right hand for emphasis. "—was reduced to rubble and chaos. As soon as the people knew what was happening, a broadcast was sent out telling everyone to head toward the Court Of Azimuth. Mother and Father grabbed me and the twins and headed there immediately."

Here, Terin took a deep breath, involuntarily shaking as the memories filled his mind. Clank put a hand on arm. "It is okay, Terin. Together, we will correct the past and with it, bring home the Lombaxes."

Placing a hand over the Zoni's, Terin nodded toward the robot, thanking him for his charity.

"So, we arrived just like all the others. Already you could tell just from the faces that people: loved ones, family, friends... they were still missing. A few elders tried to restore order, but you knew it was just hopeless. It was then that Kaden made his way to them."

"Wait, you saw Ratchet's father?" Talwyn interrupted, prompting an affirmative nod from Terin. "Indeed, although I never knew it at the time. I also never knew what he told the elders, but the next thing I knew, a giant hole opened before us and mobs of panicking lombaxes rushed in. That was the last sight I had of my old home before the portal closed behind us."

Whistling, Maten spoke aloud to the others, "That's quite the story Terin. So, what happened to the ones that went through the portal?"

"We arrived in the dimension chosen as the Lombax Contingency: a dimension that had a planet close to the same qualities as Fastoon and the survivors of the massacre have been living there ever since."

"How was that dimension chosen?" Talwyn asked.

"Upper Adolescent History Class." Terin answered. Seeing the questioning expression on the others' faces, the lombax continued, "In school, everyone learns that with the building of the Dimensionator and the end of the Great War came a heavy burden placed on our entire race: What to do with the Dimensionator? Everyone who had a voice in Lombax government spoke differently about the weapon used to defeat the Cragmites." Stopping for a second, Terin cleared his throat before continuing, "You could imagine the proposals. However, only one came forth with their idea of proper usage: the first Keeper Of The Dimensionator, Jarius."

"Is Jarius related to Kaden in any way?" Maten asked, turning the wheel, and subsequently the cab, to the right.

"Distant ancestor. In addition to arguing for restraint, Jarius came forth with an additional proposal to prepare for a contingency in the event of any type of disaster. His option, like most others, were simply put off to the side, so Jarius took matters into his own hands. He stole the Dimensionator and hid it from the Lombaxes, electing himself to watch over it. Naturally, everyone freaked out, but with unknown confirmation that the device was safe, the Lombaxes moved on to other problems."

"With something as powerful as the Dimensionator on the line, how could the Lombaxes simply move on?' Talwyn inquired, a little shocked.

"I asked that same question myself. One thing someone must understand is that the Great War ravaged all of Polaris. It never truly recovered from the Cragmites' tyranny. You can still see the effects of it today. But yes, while the confirmation never truly satisfied anyone, you better believe that every necessary precaution was taken to prevent anyone from misusing the power of the Dimensionator for ill. In any case, about a decade later, Jarius returned and announced to the Lombaxes what transpired."

"Was he punished?' Maten asked, turning into the hospital's parking lot.

"If he was, it's never recorded. History goes that his son, Surness, received the position of Keeper after what I'd assume likely, his father's trial. It's been passed down generation after generation until it reached Kaden." Opening the cab door, Terin stepped out and stretched. "Thanks for the ride Maten. We'll see you later."

"Okay then. Remember, blue orbs in the station next to the door. That'll get my attention."

"We will. Have a good day."

With that, Maten pulled away and left Terin, Talwyn and Clank behind. Together, they made their way toward the front entrance before they heard a voice ring out above them.

"Hey!"

Looking up, the three saw Nathaniel standing on top of the roof, arms crossed as he took a step, walking off the roof in the process. Instead of falling straight down, Nathaniel continued walking, lowering himself closer with every step until he touched ground in front of the others.

"Hey," the psychic said again, throwing up a small wave. "Missed me?"

"No, but you're not going to miss this," Terin said, whacking the psychic on the back of the head.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

"You know what," Terin stated, walking around Nathan, continuing toward the hospital entrance. Clank and Talwyn followed in pursuit, leaving a lagging psychic rubbing his head, muttering under his breath.

 _ **R &C**_

They met Dr. Rinis along with both Raden doctors, as well as several other medical staff on the twentieth floor. After exchanging greetings Terin asked if they could see Ratchet now. With Rinis' confirmation; he, Drs. Faze and June, Terin, Talwyn, Clank, and Nathaniel entered the post-op room where a yellow furred lombax layed on a bed; his feline features morphed by great discomfort. Immediately, Talwyn went to stand by Ratchet's bedside, after which she took his right hand in hers and grasped it firmly. Clank and Terin stood opposite of the markazian, motionless as well. Having his irises take on their familiar glow, Nathaniel reached out into the mind of the lombax, publicly voicing his query. " _How are you feeling?_ "

Instantly, Ratchet's voice returned reply. " _Better._ _A_ _lthough I frankly don't remember much of anything recently_."

"Ratchet woke when we wheeled him into the operation room. It was troubling to explain the situation, but finally, Ratchet calmed down. Putting him under, we began the operation immediately," Dr. Rinis explained.

" _Alright, if anyone wants to speak to Ratchet, think so now, and I'll add you to the link._ " Looking toward the Zoni robot, Nathaniel told him that he'll have to think of something. With each want, Nathaniel delved into each mind, allowing them access to the telepathic circle.

" _I can still hear Clank,_ " Ratchet thought, making the psychic nod in agreement. " _That'll have to do._ "

" _Besides the fact that moving is difficult, do you feel anything else wrong with you?_ " Terin began.

" _Does_ _feeling disconnected from yourself count?_ " Ratchet countered, genuine in his words.

" _Depends,"_ Terin began, swallowing internally at hearing the pain that coursed through the thoughts of his kin. _"_ _I_ _c_ _an't say this has ever happened to me. Although, as soon as we're able, I know a few things you can do for rehabilitation._ "

" _Should be fun._ "

"How long will it take for Ratchet to return to normal?" Clank questioned, climbing the bed railing, sitting at the foot of the bed.

" _Too long._ _H_ _is physical pain may have gone but like I said earlier: trauma. What Valis did to Ratchet was lasting. He will never fully recover, especially during the time it'll take for us to get Travel The Days._ " Terin held up a hand, preventing anyone from voicing any other thoughts. " _But don't take that as confirmation that I'm counting you out._ "

" _He will have problems to overcome,_ " Dr. Rinis pointed out, drawing everyone's attention toward him. " _But we still installed the endoskeleton, he'll be faster…_ _stronger… more_ _resilient._ "

" _How long will it take before we can begin rehab?_ " Terin voiced.

" _Two days,_ " Rinis stated, causing Nathaniel to stutter and visibly pale in shock.

" _Nathan, what's wrong?_ " Talwyn asked, worry edging her words.

Shaking his head, the psychic broke connection with everyone before saying aloud, "We don't have two days. At best they'll be here in thirty-six hours… give or take."

"Who'll be here in thirty-six hours?" Terin demanded.

The psychic stared down his lombax friend. A familiar uneasiness Terin had all but seen before on Nathaniel was there as the psychic said the one thing no wanted to hear.

"Balloch and Dornavan. And they're bringing an armada."

* * *

 **AN: (12-11-17) Edited. V.2**


	18. Enter Code

"WHAT?!" Terin shouted, directing his outburst at the psychic. Nathaniel stood unfazed as the lombax glared at him, his chest heaving in an attempt to restrain his anger.

"It's true," Nathaniel affirmed, leveling his own stare at his friend.

"I'm going to assume that the captain doesn't know about the impending army."

"No, he doesn't."

Terin facepalmed, groaning loudly. "Nathaniel, did you get this from Darten? Because you told me that there was nothing of concern."

"You know me Terin: things that concern you are not necessarily a concern for me," Nathan said, twitching his fingers. Purple energy arced between the tips.

"Armadas concern everyone."

Nathaniel scoffed and turned away, walking toward the door. Standing under the threshold, the psychic uttered one last thing before leaving. "I'll be outside waiting. When you've seen to Ratchet, come on out. Captain Grayman said something about fixing our ships."

They watched as the psychic darted away, a cloud of dust picked up where he once stood. A small bronze-lined card also layed on the floor. Picking it up, Terin examined it before asking around for its purpose.

"I believe that's the payment," Dr. Rinis said, gesturing to see the card for himself. Passing it over, Clank asked why Nathaniel would withhold that information until it was practically too late.

"You have to understand where Nathaniel comes from when he withheld it," Terin began. "Now, don't get me wrong, I'm mad at him as well, but his own pride got in his way. Seven years and two armies. That is what his experience adds up to."

"Two armies?" Dr. Faze Raden questioned, earning a nod from the lombax.

"The Tribunal, as some of you know," Terin stated, nodding to his allies. "However, there is one army that, when we succeeded in defeating, Nathaniel ascended beyond us. Only Commander Noss was ever able to keep him grounded. Especially when… things… started popping up in his personality."

"What happened then?" Talwyn asked as Terin took a seat next to Ratchet's bed. Bowing his head, Terin spoke in a lower octave, capturing everyone's rapt attention. "Aerie happened."

Continuing, Terin told everyone the story of the time Aerie, another psychic, challenged all of Voklin, nearly taking it over with his own psychic power. It was the moment which defined the Leviathan of Psychic forever.

 _ **R &C**_

Meanwhile, said Leviathan stood outside the hospital, under the gazebo in the center of the garden maze. Leaning against the railing, the psychic sighed heavily, his eyes taking in the calm surroundings. Thinking the others would be down by now, Nathaniel telepathically reached out to his allies and found Terin telling everyone about the time Aerie dared show his face in Voklin, revealing to all the true depth and nature of psychic power. As the Leviathan, Nathaniel was part of a special elect: the Psychic Throne. Inside it there were four members: the Leader, the Enforcer, the Leviathan and finally, the Mastermind.

Aerie was the Mastermind, a psychic whose very near totality of power resided in control and manipulation. As Leviathan, Nathaniel's near totality of power resided in the very nature of Psychic itself: the sheer unstoppable force of ruin on all minds... even those whom he would call friends.

He shook his head furiously, mumbling under his breath. Turning on his heel, Nathaniel made his way out from under the gazebo. Letting himself be enveloped with an aura, the psychic hovered in the air before taking off toward the detention center.

" _Might as well make myself useful then_ ," Nathan thought as he sped away, leaving a long, faint trail behind him.

 _ **R &C**_

The sound of electric buzzing filled the air as Dr. Yolnan and Dornavan tinkered with the Aeon Remover. The suit's quantum energy container was being analyzed by the doctor while Dornavan had cracked opened the backpack and was letting short bursts of electricity jumpstart certain components.

Setting the taser gun aside, Dornavan reached in and pulled out a compact sphere with both his hands, setting it on the table beside him. Noticing the lack of buzzing, Dr. Yolnan looked over. When he saw what Dornavan had pulled out, he called out a loud 'NO'. Startled by the outburst, Dornavan turned abruptly shooting a blast of lighting out of his fingertips, colliding with the doctor's plasm shielding.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Dornavan yelled back, throwing his arms in the air.

"THAT'S THE BATTERY?!" Yolnan shouted toward the mage, equally loud, pointing toward the ball shaped device. Letting his hands come into a defensive position, the mage said that the taser wasn't working.

"Let me see," Dr. Yolnan demanded, storming over. Having stepped back, Dornavan watched as the doctor tried jump starting the battery, but to no avail. Dropping the taser, Yolnan sat down, making contact with the cold, steel-blue ground, burying his head in his hands, groaning loudly. Minutes rolled by in an uncomfortable silence as the mage looked around the place they were in. After arriving and questioning the doctor every way he knew how, the mage learned three things about the 'time' they were in:

1\. This entire place is, for all intents and purposes, an exact replica of their universe. Both he and the doctor were simply cast outside of time into a domain with the same dimensions as the doctor's lab. If they ever got back, they should still… theoretically… wind up back on Balloch's ship.

2\. The walls of this place are most likely a variety of quantum energy. When the doctor had touched it, it exhibited the same effect as quicksand. Quick thinking cost the doctor his glove. It was to avoided at all cost.

3\. It is impossible to know what time it is on the other side—which somewhat complicates number one.

None of these facts greatly encouraged the mage. But as he looked longer at the glob wall, the more he started to get an idea. It was one he knew the doctor would disagree with.

Walking toward the gooey wall, Dornavan extended his arm toward it, concentrating on the energy he felt pulsing from it. It was strange this energy. Despite being surrounded by it, he didn't feel overwhelmed by it. It just felt there. As if only existed and nothing else. The gray and blue swirled around, slowly morphing into incomprehensible patterns. And yet, one thing the mage was able to discern about the swirls was that they always moved to the right, never to the left. If his life depended on it, Dornavan would be unable to give an answer as to why it was this way.

Beside his lightning bolts, very few of his spells worked in this place. However, his magical reserves never wavered in the slightest while here. He could go on forever. Nothing that went with time worked here. Taking a quick look back, Dornavan saw Yolnan working on the quantum container.

" _Guess he didn't notice,_ " the mage thought as he returned his gaze toward the goo again. Taking a breath, Dornavan braced himself and placed his hand against the sludgy energy. Instantly, a sharp pain jabbed through him, buckling his knees, making him cry out. Surprised, Dr. Yolnan turned his head toward the noise. Surprised, the doctor got up in a hurry, crying out, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Dornavan started being pulled into the gooey wall when a frantic Dr. Yolnan grabbed the mage's free arm, attempting to pull him away.

"GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Yolnan commanded. The mage instead let an electric current flow through him, electrocuting the doctor, blasting him away.

"I've got an idea," Dornavan called back, a large portion of his arm inside the goo. "If it works, you'll be able to get out of here."

"Now what about you?"

"You heard me," Dornavan said as his half of him was on inside the wall. "If this fails, you'll have to continue without me."

"Dang it all, I _told_ you no."

The mage smiled slightly, his cowl now entering the goo. "Don't worry, if anything happens, I'll just cease to be. Besides, this idea was—" He didn't finish as the strange substance took all of the mage, leaving a bewildered Dr. Yolnan staring at the wall where Dornavan once been. Curling his hands into fists, Yolnan turned away, storming toward the table where the Aeon Remover lie broken, its parts strewn about the area. Ramming a fist on the table, the doctor cursed the mage, the suit, and their rotten luck. A gurgling noise got his attention.

"Not now," Yolnan moaned, placing a hand over his stomach. Letting his head fall on the table, the muffled sound of falling tools colliding with soft ground reached his ear. Pulling up a chair, he sat himself down, head continuing to rest on the table.

"I _told_ you no," he repeated.

 _ **R &C**_

He had no idea what was going to be waiting for him on the other side. He tried to convince himself that he could remove the gray 'stuff', for lack of a better term, from the blue; purifying the gooey energy. The more Dornavan thought about it, the more he believed that the gray was somehow corrupting the flow of blue inside where they were. While both colored energies flowed right, the patterns made would contort up and down as well. "Time doesn't flow like that, it only moves onward" he had thought when studying the wall.

That led him to try his idea. But, in order to try, he would have to be absorbed by the wall. As of now, Dornavan was on the other side, surrounded by a darkness that had neither light nor sound.

He would of called it 'Nothing', but the mage could still feel.

" _Well, there goes that idea._ "

Inside this place, Dornavan had lost all sense of direction, and the panic that had been dormant decided that now was a good time to come back.

" _No,_ " he told himself, tightly gripping his arm. " _Get yourself under control._ " He would hold on to his arm as his last sense of being, from the fear that the darkness assailed him with. Breathing did little, but it kept his train of thought reasonable.

"Now, who do we have here?" Something said, making the mage freeze up. "Don't fear, I know who you are," it continued. Layered, unnatural, robotic, its voice seemed to come from all sides. "In fact, I'm here to help."

It was then that whatever it was made his appearance. Shreds of white lines started appearing in the darkness, forming a tall, gaunt, stick-like shape that towered over the mage. Two small slits filled with a hazy, dim ocean-blue looked down on Dornavan. Looking over to its right, more white lines appeared in the darkness, forming a long, stick-like arm. At the far end was a four-pronged claw. It attached itself to the main body.

"Here," the being began, grabbing the mage by his shoulder. He moved his arm to upright Dornavan. "Better?"

Dornavan didn't know whether or not to believe the… whatever it was… in front of him, but it felt reassuring to know that someone else was here.

"Now, may I ask what you're doing here?" It asked.

Dornavan tried opening his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"Figures," replied the entity. "You can only hear me, can you?"

Dornavan nodded. The mage was shocked at this. He had believed that neither light nor sound existed here, but obviously, it did. He wondered why he couldn't speak then. Or why he could see.

"I'll assume as well that you can see me?"

Again, the mage nodded.

"At least that's half of one coin."

The newcomer drifted from the mage, floating behind him. Slowly, for fear of losing his direction, the mage turned himself around, sight of the entity again returning to his vision. He watched as it raised a claw forward, then start to scrape white marks in the darkness. Then, almost as soon as it came, the white was swarmed by the darkness. The entity looked toward his left and a new arm made itself, attaching the same way the right arm had. Baring them both, the entity clawed furiously at the darkness, dozens of white marks appearing faster than Dornavan could see. The mage was greatly puzzled with the stranger's activity.

Like before, the white marks receded from the assailing darkness. It turned around to face Dornavan with a questioning expression behind its eyes. "How did you get into a Contaminated Zone?" It asked cautiously, pointing a claw toward where he had scraped the darkness.

'Contaminated Zone'. Dornavan had no idea what that was, or what it meant to the being. It must of known the agent's confusion because its expression changed to one of compassion.

"I know what you did that got you here, but that shouldn't be so." It was here that the claws on the entity detached themselves and melded together into a disk-like shape. The being's arms disappeared back into the darkness, leaving the tall stranger as the thin, rectangular shape it had upon first appearing.

"Here, this disk, when used it will clean up small quantities of time. Like the corruption on the other side of this wall."

The disk floated toward Dornavan and rested against his masked face. Placing a hand on his mask, the mage felt the smooth, flat disk. Grabbing hold, sudden sensation coursed through the agent, making him gasp involuntarily.

...

...

...

Had he actually made a sound?

Taking a few more short breaths, Dornavan realized that he could make a sound.

"Incredible," he breathed.

"Indeed it is... Dornavan."

"How?"

"That disk. It allows me access to superficial data about you."

"Whoa!"

"Again, indeed."

"Who are you then?"

"While I have no name, for simplicity's sake, you can call me Code."

"Okay then. Thanks for the assist."

"Your welcome." Code looked toward the black wall, a white line engraving itself into a circle shape. "This will be your way out."

Despite this place, the circle outline glowed brightly, instead casting the dark away. A hole appeared inside the circle, growing in size until it filled the shape in.

"Remember," Code began. "Once you have gone inside, you'll need to use that disk to extract the corruption on the other side."

"Understood." Dornavan said.

"Go now," Code commanded. He watched as the mage entered the circle and the hole closed behind him. With the circle gone, the darkness overtook its lost ground, leaving the being known as Code surrounded a familiar emptiness.

And in keeping with the emptiness, Code faded away to wherever he came from.

 _ **R &C**_

Dr. Yolnan stood against the table, the complete Aeon Remover layed out upon the table. Earlier, he'd noticed the gray goo dispersing, and with it, the quantum energy inside the suit's container reacting with it. Whatever Dornavan was doing, it was working: the suit's components were responding. Scrambling, Yolnan rushed to reconstruct the Aeon Remover, now he was just waiting for the gray to disperse again.

He was getting impatient with waiting.

" _Come on,_ " he thought.

It was then that a bright white circle appeared in the goo, sprouting forth illumination which blinded the doctor. From the light walked out Dornavan, his ruby red armor shining brilliantly. Hiding his eyes beneath his ungloved hand, Dr. Yolnan called out the mage's name.

"Do... D... Dor... Dornavan?" He stuttered, shocked to the welcoming appearance of the mage agent.

"Good to see you again doctor," Dornavan said, holding up a disk in his right hand. The circle closed behind him. Lowering his arm, Dr. Yolnan rushed over to the mage and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"How did you get back?" He asked the agent.

"By a miracle if you ask me. But I'm thankful for that." Dornavan then lifted the disk eye-level with the doctor.

"What is this?" Yolnan asked, taking it from the mage, examining it.

"To make a long story short, someone... or thing... by the name of Code gave me this disk object as a way to cleanse the gray goo from the blue energy."

"And that will allow us our way back home?"

"Absolutely."

"Well then, mage, give it a go."

Taking the disk from Yolnan, Dornavan walked toward the wall, holding up the disk to it. As he walked, the disk began vibrating in the agent's hand, drawing the goo toward it. As it started to flood the disk, pieces of it disappeared, each seemingly able to contain only so much. Dr. Yolnan let out a cry of joy. "It's working, Dornavan! Ha ha, it's working!"

"Good, get the Remover ready to go. When this is done, we're getting out of here," the mage called back. More and more pieces of the disk faded away as the gray corruption was drawn toward it. Finally, as the last of the goo entered the disk, it faded away completely, leaving the mage with a satisfactory smile behind his mask. Turning on his heel, he called out, asking if the doctor was ready to go.

"I'm ready," he called back, grabbing the nozzle of the suit. "I'll send you back first, then I will come with the suit next," Dr. Yolnan finished as Dornavan drew up next to him. The mage nodded his approval and told him to fire the Aeon Remover. Flicking a switch, Dr. Yolnan grabbed the hose and let loose a stream of quantum energy. It collided with the agent, slowly fading him away.

"See you soon," Dornavan said before vanishing completely.

"To you as well," the doctor replied, turning the hose toward himself while having hold of the suit, taking it with him.

 _ **R &C**_

Balloch was grunting from the strain of his workout when a trooper barged in, exclaiming that both the doctor and agent have returned.

"WHAT?!" He roared, finishing his push-up. Getting up, he looked over toward the trooper, only to see more of them, confirming the first one's statement.

"Step aside!" He barked, shoving his way past them before breaking off into a run toward Dr. Yolnan's lab. Several ship personnel were already there when Balloch arrived. Stepping into the empty lab, the Fell-Enk commander was utterly slack-jawed in surprise when he took sight of the doctor and mage.

"Greetings sir," Dornavan said, saluting toward his superior before he added with a hint of sarcastic flair. "Hope you didn't miss us."

"Welcome commander," Dr. Yolnan added, saluting the Fell-Enk as well.

"Im… poss… ible," Balloch managed.

The other two exchanged knowing looks before facing the commander. "Not this time," Dornavan stated.

"And also," Dr. Yolnan chimed in, setting a big white astronaut-like suit up.. "I present to you sir, the Aeon Remover, fully operational."

Seeing the suit, Balloch asked for an explanation. Yolnan quickly demonstrated the suit's working condition by phasing out the wall panels that once housed the Psych-Bands.

"Beautiful," Balloch said, an evil smile making it's way onto the commander's face. "Dr. Yolnan, you've succeeded. For that, you have my gratitude." Turning to face the mage, Balloch continued, "Dornavan, we have thirty-four hours until we reach Raynarn, how about another training session?"

Beneath his mask, the mage smiled knowingly and chuckled, a fireball forming in the palm of his hands.

"Sure thing sir."

* * *

 **AN: (12-21-17) Edited.**


	19. Trusting RYNOs

" _That was a waste of time_ _,_ " the psychic thought, thoroughly dissatisfied. When he read their minds earlier, Nathaniel had figured out all he needed to know. Now was just the matter of telling Terin and the others. At that moment, a buzzing went off in his ear. A small flicker of a smile found its way on the psychic as he pressed on the com-link in his ear.

" _Speak of the furries,_ " he thought. "Hey Terin, is storytime over?" The psychic asked, walking through the detention center's double doors, watching other allonians as they busily moved along the sidewalk.

"Yes. Now where are you?"

"Just got out of the detention center. Hang on, I'm heading your way."

"Were you careful this time Nate?"

"Yeah Terin, I was."

Walking inside an alley, Nathaniel looked over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't followed. Content with what he saw and letting his psychic aura envelop him, the psychic flew away. He arrived at the hospital mere moments later, landing in the parking lot where he saw the others saying their goodbyes toward the doctors and thanking them for their assistance.

"Looks like your friend is here," Dr. Oksolot stated, pointing to where the human touched down behind them.

"I hear you. Thanks again for everything," Terin said, shaking the doctor's hand. Turning away, he heard Talwyn and Clank finish their goodbyes before they followed the lombax toward the psychic.

"Hey," Nathaniel greeted, raising a small wave. His voice was heavy. The three of them picked up on this. Exchanging looks, Terin nodded and put a hand on the psychic's shoulder, looking at his friend. "You okay?"

"I'm fine… just sorry."

"You need to know how to communicate. While you are the strongest among us, you are _not_ omnipotent," Terin advised. "Now, you said the captain wanted to see us?"

"I did."

"Well then, let's go." Letting go of the psychic, Terin led the others toward the hospital's entrance. After falling alongside Clank and Talwyn, Nathaniel asked how they were doing. Their replies were positive, but ditto. The psychic nodded silently to himself.

"That's good to hear. Also, I'm sorry. I should've beaten that Ivarc when I had a chance. We wouldn't be here if I had."

"Don't feel bad, you did what you could," Talwyn replied. "Beside, Valis is gone. We'll never have to see him again and, to be honest, I'm okay with that."

Taken aback by the markazian's last statement, Nathaniel raised his hands defensively, saying, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Cut Valis some slack, defeating all five of us is a pretty impressive feat. Got to have some respect for what villains do."

"Even a villain like Aerie?" Clank interjected, making the psychic stop dead in his tracks. After some pause, Nathaniel gulped before looking at the diminutive robot, who stopped alongside Talwyn. Both of them were looking at the psychic. "Ever heard of the phrase 'the exception that proves the rule'?"

"Yes, I am well aware of it," Clank replied, waiting for the psychic to catch up. "Although I do not find myself often using it, if ever."

"Well, what Aerie does isn't impressive, it's evil."

"Even when it is done to one's own friends."

The psychic chuckled. "Especially when done to one's own friends." Lowering his voice, Nathaniel asked Clank how he liked that trick. The Zoni said it could of been better, leaving the psychic to roll his eyes in mild annoyance.

"Here's our ride," Terin announced, drawing everyone's attention to the taxicab fast approaching their position. Pulling up to the sidewalk where the heroes stood, the shotgun window rolled down, revealing the familiar face of Maten.

"Wait a minute… I know this guy."

"Congratulations, what tipped you off?" Terin sarcastically remarked, opening the back door for both Talwyn and Clank.

"Remember what I said about sarcasm awhile ago?" Nathaniel asked, opening the shotgun door before stepping into the cab.

"Remember what _I_ said about sarcasm awhile ago?" Terin countered, climbing in, closing the back door behind him.

"Couldn't say really; it was so bad I tuned it out."

Reaching for the shotgun seat, Terin leaned in and whispered threateningly at his friend. "You're _begging_ for a wrench blade up your—"

"—I'm sure this conversation is interesting and all but could you finish it another time?!" Maten interrupted loudly, cutting the lombax off. The allonian then pulled over onto the road and took off toward downtown.

"Now, do you guys know where you want to go?" Maten inquired after a good minute rolled by.

"Yeah, city limits, we have to get back to the Captain," Terin answered earning a nod from Maten. "Hang on then, I'm activating Hover."

"What's 'Hover'?" Terin asked.

"Oh yeah!" Nathan whooped, fist pumping the air.

"Oh dear," Clank said, covering his face with his hands.

"Oh well," Talwyn began, shrugging. "Here we go again."

"No, seriously. What's 'Hover'?"

 _ **R &C**_

Fist after fist slammed against barrier after barrier as Balloch continued his unending onslaught against the young mage. However, Dornavan was able to withstand the continual blows from the towering Fell-Enk until he elbowed the shield, finally breaking through it. Dornavan jumped back, narrowly avoiding an incoming jab. Extending two fingers toward the commander, Dornavan focused on gathering heat around the tips. Holding up his other hand, the mage conjured up another shield, ready to block the charging commander.

No avail.

Balloch broke through it causing Dornavan to abandon his original plan. Rolling out of the way, Dornavan stood upright, cupping his hands together in front of him. A white, crackling, pulsing energy gathered inside, steadily increasing in strength. Out of his peripheral, the mage could see Balloch coming back around.

" _Not yet,_ " Dornavan thought, watching intently as the Fell-Enk commander got closer.

Dornavan put his hands to his side, opening the cup he held, allowing the energy to take a round shape. Both size and intensity of the attack doubled after he succeeded. Balloch, however, remained unfazed as he continued to charge his opponent, mere seconds before impact.

" _Now._ "

As the commander's fist came crashing down, Dornavan extended his arms toward Balloch's attack, allowing both to come into contact. The concussive force was devastating, sending them flying opposite each other. A loud crash followed the tinkling of shattered glass, indicating that someone blasted through the glass pane while an even louder bang indicated a dent in the wall. The entire flagship shook from the force, causing all standing personnel to steady themselves for fear of falling over. Several overhead lights broke. Many more flickered out.

Both fighters picked themselves off the floor after several breather moments. Leveling steady, cool looks at each other in the darkness, they took off before collapsing on the floor, pain taking hold of them.

Dornavan caught himself, extending both his arms forward, bending them as he fell. After settling himself, he raised a hand toward his chest, beginning to scrutinize himself for injuries. Balloch on the other hand, fell over completely, cursing. Getting up on one knee, the commander shouldered through the pain, standing up.

"I'll admit, you've got power Dornavan," Balloch grunted, rubbing his shoulder.

"Thank you sir." Dornavan said as a bright milky light emanated from his palm, healing his wounds.

"Magic wound healer, huh?"

"Indeed."

"Well then, take five for now," the commander suggested, rotating his right, than left shoulder, feeling it out. Dornavan agreed and walked away toward his quarters, raising his hand up to act as a spotlight. Upon arriving, the mage glanced at the clock attached to the wall above his door.

" _Twenty-eight hours remain_ ," he smiled at the thought. " _Hope you're prepared psychic._ "

 _ **R &C**_

"Nathaniel, come and get this bolt will you," Terin commanded, waving the psychic over. Walking up next to the lombax, Nathaniel peered inside Zenith's engine. After examining it, the psychic opened his mouth to say he didn't see it until Terin pointed it out.

"Oh, hmm."

Irises colored purple, Nathaniel gently unscrewed the bolt and left it in the air next to him, a purple aura surrounding it. After taking out more bolts—and making a halo out of them, much to Terin's annoyance—Nathaniel helped Terin pull out the engine, setting it on the floor next to Clank. Kneeling down opposite of the Zoni, Terin asked for the robot to take a look.

"Hang on, this will take just me a few moments," the robot responded, his red antennae blinking, indicating that he'd begun diagnostics.

"Good. Come and get me when you're done. I'm going to go and see what we have with Talwyn."

"Okay Terin."

Turning away from the robot and engine, Terin walked up to the markazian where she was taking a look at all the equipment they'd brought with them.

"Alright Tal, what do we have here?"

Gesturing to the variety of weapons, Talwyn filled Terin in on their ammunition.

"Surprisingly, none of our weapons are empty. However, the Constructo Pistol, Whirlwind Throwtie, Alpha Cannon and my Combuster are all scathingly close. And the Zoni Blaster is about halfway filled. So that just leaves us with the rest of Clank's weapons, the Judicator, the Blizzard Mine Glove, the Plasma Striker, the other Constructo weapons, and the Shredder Claws."

"I'll take the Shredder Claws," Nathan said, appearing next to the markazian.

"No Nate," Talwyn admonished, smacking the psychic's hand away from the Claws.

"Why not?!" The psychic exclaimed, looking at the lombax with a face asking for help.

"Because frankly, we'd rather trust you with a R.Y.N.O.," Terin answered.

"Really?!"

"No. Now here," the lombax began, tossing the psychic a blue-black glove. "You can use the Blizzard Mine Glove." Catching it, Nathaniel looked the weapon over before shooting the lombax a 'really' look.

"If you want the Shredder Claws, construct one yourself," said lombax replied before looking over the Kudzu Tangle.

"Terin, I have finished running the diagnostic," Clank called out. "It seems that you have modified Zenith's engine several times. Plus, I am also not familiar with the engine model. This must have been made after your kind left this dimension."

"The Protoflare One," Terin filled in, quickly grunting. "Yeah, you could say I forgot. Right before I left home, Jace upgraded Zenith with it."

"Well, since we seem unable to work with it, Zenith will need—" Clank began.

"—No," Terin interrupted, holding up a hand. "I'll continue tinkering with it. Should the time left fall short and I don't have the Protoflare running, I'll get a new engine."

"That sounds like a plan," someone called out from afar. "Albeit a risky one." Turning their heads toward the source, Clank and Terin saw Captain Quincy Grayman walking toward them. Nathaniel and Talwyn joined their allies, watching as the captain stopped several steps before them.

"How'd it go?" Nathaniel ventured, wringing his hands together.

"Well," Grayman started. "Actual evidence can get things done here."

"That's good to hear. When will they arrive?" Terin inquired.

"Little over an hour for those closestto us. But that should be enough."

"I doubt it," the psychic said, turning away from the group.

Taking a deep breath, Quincy looked at the psychic, then the others. Lowering his voice, the captain told them that it was possible. Word from Polaris suggested that an entire fleet—and then some—were headed their way.

"I'd rather be long gone by the time they arrive," Talwyn replied, earning a nod of agreement from the lombax.

"That reminds me: how's Ratchet?" Quincy asked.

"He will be okay. Terin has left detailed instructions for the doctors entrusted to his care," Clank answered.

"That's good to hear."

"Hey Terin, how about a quick lesson?" Nathaniel cut in, a familiar aura surrounding his form.

"Not like that I won't," the lombax replied, pointing to the purple aura.

"Oh this—" Nathaniel began, raising his arms. The purple energy swirled around them, forming an objects of sorts that encased them. "—is what call shiz." By then, the energy formed near-identical duplicates of the Shredder Claws, except the blades were more jagged and the weapon itself was several different shades of purple. Everyone showed various degrees of surprise.

"Impressive," the captain stated, whistling.

"What are you going to call them?" Talwyn asked.

"Hmm," the psychic began, tapping his nose with his index. "Uuuuuh, ooh, I know."

"What?"

"Razor Talons."

"You've got to be kidding me?" Terin interjected, shooting a 'really' look at the psychic.

"Admit it, you love it."

"Tell you what, _if_ you can beat me with those, I'll think about it."

"…That, actually, was pretty good. Up top," Nathaniel said, offering a high-five to which Terin returned.

"Do I want to ask what just happened?" Quincy inquired.

"You do not," Clank answered, shaking his head.

 _ **R &C**_

"I can't find Zalirus," Aven Noss, red suit member of the Accelerators, told the Magistrate: Quinlin Kard. The elder Norvalik pondered on the younger's rather, unsettling, information.

"What about the Keer? Torskov? Other apprentices maybe?" Inquired the Magistrate.

Aven shook his head, making the elder raise folded hands against his mouth. He appeared to lose himself to thought, muttering every so often. Finally, the Magistrate spoke up, "I don't want to believe it."

"I don't either and to be honest, I'm not all too friendly with your order Quinlin," Aven added, looking away.

"What about the 'cloaked figure' Nate talked about?" Kard questioned.

"Actually, I turned up something," Aven said.

"What?"

"Remember that night when your quarters were overturned and your notes for the time travel artifact went missing?"

"I do."

"Turns out that Ulifin was there and saw someone who matched Nathaniel's description rather well."

"Where is Ulifin now?"

"When I had asked him, he was about to take transport for planet Axer."

"Okay then, I'll need you to get word to him and tell him I request his presence immediately."

"Will do, Kard."

Aven sped away, a red blur was all that took the Accelerator's place as he ran toward the nearest ship that could take him toward Axer. With the wind whipping his robe, Quinlin turned and went his way. His hands found their way behind his back, gripping each other tightly.

" _For your sake, I pray your innocent... old friend._ "

 _ **R &C**_

"Again, you're hesitating, pretend I... there. Left-right, now right-left. Bend your knees, sweep," Terin commanded, avoiding the attacks as he taught the psychic. "Good... remember your hands—eye level, away from face—hup." Here, the lombax threw a punch of his own, right through the human's block, purposely avoiding contact with the face.

"Your blocks can't be too far apart: remember, tight, eye-level, away from face." Pulling his attack back, Terin nodded toward the psychic, who began the lesson anew.

* * *

Meanwhile, Talwyn, Clank, Quincy and several other Defense Force officers in command were talking strategy.

"I believe that's a risky move," Captain Grayman addressed to someone via the main terminal. "We're not to make war with the Fell-Enk or Vinhar. A separate entity has made it a personal agenda attacking us in order to get to the Travelers."

"Play it defensively and we're going to lose good troops. However, get the President on board and we can get ourselves an official declaration, amass an army, and pulverize these losers back to the hole they crawled out of."

"I'm of a mind with Captain Walreck: 'The best defense is a good offense', Grayman," another officer interrupted, causing a chorus of voices to rise up, either agreeing or disagreeing with the sentiment.

"You must understand, no one is looking for war," Clank began. "To begin one is needless; buying time for safe passage is not."

"That brings us back to square one then: why are you looking for safe passage?" Someone new inquired, many others showing their position by nodding, casting inquisitive looks toward the Genesis' bridge.

"As I've said, the fate of everything lies on what they're doing. It's a secret I've been allowed to know only because of circumstance," Quincy responded, voice rising in anger.

"All the more reason then to get the President on board," Captain Walreck advised.

"WE ARE NOT CALLING IN THE WHOLE MILITARY!" Captain Grayman shouted, fists slamming against console. Taking deep breaths, Captain Grayman spoke again. "The defense force is specifically that—a division called in for the defense of the galaxy. If you wanted to be on the offensive Walreck, then you joined the wrong division."

This seemed to quiet the crowd. Each spoke among themselves, occasionally communicating to the others. After a few minutes of mild debating, a new voice made itself known.

"I'm not too sure what others here believe, but I believe you're right. Still, if they're mission is as crucial as you say it is, we should call in somebody."

"Time is all they need, Milana. If we can buy it, they'll be able to deliver."

The bridge was quiet after Quincy finished. One by one, all signed off, voicing their willingness to assist. Even the stubborn Walreck, who caved in at the very end.

"You win this time, Grayman," he had said before his square blinked out.

"Well, that takes care of that," Quincy grumbled. At that moment, Terin and Nathaniel walked in, looking none the worse for having spent the past hour or so in practice.

"Those who arrived are willing to help," Talwyn declared upon their entrance. This drew confident smiles from both lombax and human. "That leaves us with one less loose end to deal with," Terin said.

"I can contact Faze or June if you want," Nathaniel offered knowingly, the faintest of purple hue coloring the psychic's irises.

"Do that," Talwyn commanded. "Meanwhile, Terin, Clank and I will go work on our ships."

"And I'll continue being on the bridge," Quincy added, light laughter ringing in response.

"Sounds good to me."

 _ **R &C**_

The door opened to a well-lit hospital room. Dr. Faze Raden walked in to find Ratchet sitting up, slowly moving his hand from side to side, trying his best to hide his discomfort.

"How do you feel so far?" The doctor asked, pulling out a pen and clipboard.

"F… ngh… fine." Ratchet said, biting his lip.

"Don't bite too hard," Raden warned, looking at some monitors, taking notes. "And also, don't be afraid to take breaks. It's better to recover slowly yet correctly than quickly yet still have handicaps down the road."

Lowering his hand onto his lap, the lombax looked at the doctor with a hint of resign.

"I'm not letting my team down," Ratchet said, raising his other arm, moving it left to right.

"I'll be honest, I can't say I understand what you're going through but, I think I speak for all involved when I say that you're not letting your team down. If you keep this up, you'll be back on your feet soon enough."

Ratchet stopped moving his arm. He then slowly extended it, drawing in breath. Then, Ratchet slowly retracted it, exhaling. Dr. Raden watched as Ratchet continued the exercises for a few minutes. Accomplished, the allonian turned around, leaving wordlessly. Stepping into the hall, Dr. Raden soon encountered his wife walking toward him.

"Where are you going," He asked, meeting her halfway.

"I'm checking up on Ratchet."

"I just now did that. He's fine."

"It's for his friends' sake."

"Did they contact you?"

" _In a way, yeah,_ " Nathaniel broadcasted, surprising Faze. " _You said Ratchet is okay?_ "

"I did."

" _Well, can June see for herself, so I can as well?_ "

"Sure. Follow me," Faze commanded.

Both doctors returned to the lombax's room, drawing Ratchet's attention toward them.

"Is something wrong?" He asked when both doctors stepped in, closing the door behind them.

"No. In fact, someone wishes to talk to you," June replied, taking a seat next to the lombax's bed.

"Who?"

" _Hey bud,_ " Nathaniel began. " _How's it going?_ "

"For the most part, boring."

" _I hear you. So, everyone wanted me to check up on you,_ _y_ _ou know,_ _see how everything's coming along on your end._ "

"Well, as you can… uh..." Dr. Faze started, fumbling for the right word to say.

" _See can do just nicely,_ " Nathaniel filled in, slightly laughing.

"Okay then. As you can see, Ratchet is recovering. He should be back on his feet in no time."

" _Sweet._ "

"How are all of you holding out?" Ratchet asked, bringing an arm across his chest before stopping, crying out in pain. Both Raden doctors rushed to his side.

"You've got to slow down. You're no use to your team if you injure yourself further," Faze commanded.

" _Doc's right, Ratchet._ "

"I'll slow down when this is all over."

" _Actually, none of us will remember this when it's all over._ _W_ _ell, maybe Clank will remember;_ _I'm_ _not sure._ " Nathaniel mused. " _Well, in any case, I'll go tell the others about you and we'll see you later._ "

"Ok then. Goodbye Nathaniel."

" _You too_ _._ "

With that, the psychic's presence faded away, leaving the lombax and two allonians alone.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Ratchet said, shaking his head.

"I'm sure no one can," June stated, her husband nodding in agreement.

As with the psychic, both doctors bid the lombax goodbye, leaving him alone to his devices. Just then, a yawn escaped his lips, mildly annoying him.

" _You've got to slow down._ "

Maybe, just maybe, Faze was right. Ratchet took a breath, slowly adjusting himself so he lied flat on the bed, all the while gritting his teeth against the pain. Looking up at the ceiling, Ratchet felt drowsiness creeping up on him. Pulling the covers up to his neck, the lombax closed his eyes, sleep overtaking him.

* * *

 **AN: (12-21-17) Edited.**


	20. Liege Is Enemy

( _Twenty Hours Remaining_ )

"That's takes care of that," Terin said aloud, closing the engine lid shut. "How are you feeling, Aphelion?"

"I am well. Thanks for asking," replied the female A.I.

Terin gave a good once-over to Ratchet's ship, checking for anything that may be out of place. Smiling at his handiwork, Terin grabbed his wrench and walked up to his workbench, lying it upright against the table. Turing on his heel, Terin pushed himself up on the table. His added weight caused it to creak.

"So our enemies have been following your progress since the beginning?" Aphelion asked, drawing the lombax's attention to her. He nodded in compliance, taking a breath before answering. "Yeah. Apparently, Nathaniel got into contact with his old friends from the Federation. He has them looking into a possible infiltration."

"Or betrayal?"

Again the lombax nodded. "Or betrayal."

Closing the toolbox shut, Terin grabbed the handle and lifted it and himself off the table. "Aphelion, open up, please." She did as was told and retracted her canopy. This allowed Terin to climb in and open up the trunk behind the seats. He set the toolbox inside and closed the trunk. After Terin climbed out, Aphelion sealed herself shut.

"That reminds me... I have to talk to Nathaniel about it and see what he thinks about all this." Terin turned toward the workbench, eyes sweeping over the approximate area, checking for anything out of place. Finding it to his satisfaction, he waved goodbye to Ratchet's ship before heading off toward the Genesis' bridge.

"Alright then, I will see you later," she replied.

"You too, Aphelion."

The doors to the bridge retracted at the lombax's presence. No one, however, turned to acknowledge who it was that walked through. Coming up behind his friends, Terin cleared his throat, nabbing both Defense Force Captains of both Polaris and Raynarn—albeit surprising them at the same time. They turned to face the lombax quite suddenly. "Oh Terin, it's you," Talwyn started. Quincy shook his head, miffed. "Very good, Terin. You got me."

Said lombax chuckled lightly, but stopped as soon as he began. There was something more important to be done here. "'Fraid that wasn't my intention. Have any of you seen Nathaniel recently?"

This drew negative responses from both the captains.

"Got it. Would any of you know where Clank is then?"

"He's around the ship chatting with tech personnel," Talwyn answered, pointing toward the door opposite of the one that Terin had entered.

"Thanks. I'll see you guys around then," Terin said, saluting the captains as he walked away. Quincy and Talwyn both acknowledged his good-bye before getting back to work. Terin continued and entered the doorway, leaving the hive of activity that was the Genesis' bridge behind. With boots echoing against the gray metallic floor, Terin went along the winding halls, calling out the Zoni's name. As he continued on, he turned a corner and crashed into an allonian. This sent both of them crashing onto the ground.

Terin made a quick recovery and he dusted himself off, proceeding then to offer a hand toward the fallen allonian. He declined it politely and stood back up, gently readjusting his uniform. Terin noticed the look—matching teal blue shirt and pants indicated him as an engineer, and judging by the lack of any eye-catching badges or ribbons, Terin guessed the allonian was fourth rank.

"Sorry, my bad," Terin began, using his still-outstretched hand to offer a handshake.

"My fault actually, I was the one running," the engineer apologized, panting, shaking the lombax's hand.

"Wh... w... why were you running?" Terin inquired, noting the youthful voice in the allonian.

"I heading back toward my station."

"Trying not to be tardy, hmm?" Terin questioned, shooting a sort of accusing look. The allonian nodded his head in embarrassment, crème colored cheeks turning bright red. Terin placed a hand on the engineer's shoulder, making eye contact. He'd been right—the engineer was just a boy, perhaps a slight above legal age. The lombax gave an empathetic smile, giving the youth a pat on the shoulder in addition.

"We'll keep this between us, okay?" Terin suggested.

"Uhh, sure... thank you," the allonian said, saluting.

Terin saluted in return. "You work for a good captain. Now go on. Don't want to keep you from your station."

Turning on his heel, the engineer dashed across the hall, black boots clanging noisily against the floor, after which Terin heard someone come up from behind.

"Who were you talking to, Terin?" Clank asked, walking up toward the lombax. Turning to face the Zoni robot, Terin told Clank that it was just a young engineer, no one too special.

"But that's not important," Terin continued. "What is however, is that I found you."

"How come?'

"I wanted to know if Nathaniel was anywhere on this ship. I can't find him."

"It would seem to me that if you have checked everywhere and cannot find him, then he is not here," Clank supplied, earning a shrug of confirmation from Terin.

"You make a good point there but, I was wondering if you could perform a bio-scan and search for Nathaniel?"

"I can. Do you wish for me to do so?"

"Pretty please?" Terin begged.

Clank giggled, then raised his antennae into the air, it's bulb flashing as the robot perform the scan. No more then a minute later, Clank had the search results all gathered up.

"It is as I suspected, Terin, he is not here," Clank announced upon completion.

"Alright then, thanks Clank," Terin said, walking past the Zoni.

"May I ask why you are searching for him?" Clank called out.

Terin stopped walking, but did not turn to face Clank. "I need to speak to him about a few things. See what he thinks of our situation so far. Thanks again, Clank."

"No problem, Terin."

Leaving the Zoni behind, Terin walked along the corridors of the ship when a rather uncanny snicker echoed inside the lombax's thoughts, making him stop in his tracks.

Terin smiled knowingly, " _Leviathan. Long time, no hear,_ " he thought, looking up and down the hall, checking to be sure he was alone. No such luck. However, Terin leaned against the wall, acting casual.

" _ **Lombax. How's it been?**_ " The loud, booming tone of the Leviathan made Terin mentally cringe in annoyance.

" _I've been better. Where's Nathaniel?_ "

" _ **We're on Alnek, far over the sea.**_ "

" _May I ask why?_ "

" _ **We're training, trying to compensate for an army, an unknown Fell-Enk and a mage.**_ "

" _Well, the defe... wait a minute, are you concerned?_ "

" _ **Quite.**_ "

" _That's new._ "

" _ **Save your surprise for later, lombax. You know as well as anyone that magic and the unknown concern me.**_ "

" _True._ _So, when will you be done; I need to talk to Nathan?_ "

" _ **Later. Now leave us be.**_ " With the command still fresh in the lombax's mind, Leviathan left Terin behind. Turning on his heel, the lombax made his way double-time toward the hangar where several other pilots were either making small talk or firing up their ships, preparing to make their routine rounds around the Defense Force fleet. Terin first went up to the workbench and grabbed his Praetorian wrench, then turned and walked up to Aphelion, asking her to open up.

"May I ask where we are going?" She asked, her canopy moving upward.

"Planet Alnek. I found Nathaniel."

* * *

"How are your shields holding up?"

This was what Terin asked as Aphelion as they passed through Alnek's atmosphere.

"They are doing well. You did a fine job repairing me," Aphelion esteemed.

"Thank you Aphelion. Now—" Terin began, searching the console for a specific button. "—there we are." Pressing it, the screen on Aphelion's console flickered to life, going from black to green. A rotating, translucent white triangle appeared, beeping at every completed rotation.

"Okay Aphelion, here's the deal. I need you to lock on to any massive sources of energy. Any kind, any type. When you have lock, let me know." Terin commanded, turning a knob next to the screen.

"Affirmative."

Terin leaned forward, craning his head to get a better view of the area. The bluffs were especially scenic at this time of day. The ocean waves—blue tinged with the faintest of pink—gently rolled against the sunburnt rock. The clouds above—white tinged with the faintest of pink—dotted the calm skies, filtering the luminous yellow sunlight.

" _Makes me wish I was on vacation,_ " Terin mused, rueful. Relaxing in his chair, Terin let go of the steering wheel, folding his arms across his chest.

"I have got a lock," Aphelion announced suddenly. "Two sources: one enormous and another one less so, but only in comparison."

That made Terin pause. " _Only in comparison._ " Then, the realization hit him. "He's fighting the Leviathan... that idiot," he muttered. "Aphelion, where are they now?"

"On the other side of the planet, far from any platforms."

"Head over there, but be careful," Terin commanded, placing his hands again on the steering wheel. "I don't need you shorting out again."

"Affirmative."

 _ **R &C**_

Letting loose a primal roar; a colossal, flying, purple monstrosity summoned an exorbitant amount of mental power in front of itself, gathering it into a ball roughly two-thirds its own size. The being launched it, sending it directly onto the planet's surface. Nathaniel appeared in front of its path, cupping his hands behind him, gathering his own psychic energy into a sphere roughly twice the size of his torso. Letting loose a scream of power, Nathaniel threw his arms out in front of him, unleashing his attack, followed by a continuous trail toward the massive ball that was making its way down to Alnek.

Both sources of energy collided midway in the air, fighting each other in an intense pushing match.

" _ **You stand no chance**_ _ **vessel**_ _ **,**_ " Leviathan thought, his mental signature resonating fiercely in the psychic's head.

"Vessel _?_ " Nathaniel thought back, indignant. His own mental signature was nothing compared to the Leviathan. " _Absolutely not._ " The psychic redoubled his effort and slipped into Psiwalk, allowing his cannon to gain ground. Leviathan let loose another roar, expanding his attack, turning the tide against Nathaniel. Pushing himself harder, the psychic launched several smaller cannons in succession, adding small bursts of power to the main source, slowing Leviathan's attack to a standstill.

" _ **Still you do not have what it takes to beat me,**_ " Leviathan said again, infuriating the psychic.

" _Shut up._ "

" _ **Snappy.**_ " With another roar, Leviathan again poured more energy into his attack, pummeling through the human's defense.

Having enough, Nathan let loose all he had, going up the Psiwalk chain into Ultimate: the familiar crown of the transformation once again adorning his brow. Gathering all the strength he had left, Nathan released it into one final attack. Its power rivaled Leviathan's own attack, stalling for a second before slowly making ground.

However, the entity floating before the human was unfazed at his vessel's attempt to beat him back. To him, the attack would make no mark on him while Nathaniel would be drained of all but his vital reserves. So, Leviathan let the psychic's attack punch a hole through his own, allowing it to slam against him.

The ensuing explosion was both brilliant and devastating. Painting their side of the world in a radiant purple—temporarily outshining all other sources of light—the blast dispersed the waters apart, making a bowl both insanely wide and deep. It took some time for the residual energy to dissipate into the atmosphere and then into space. By the time it had done so, the water replaced itself evenly. In the aftermath of the explosion, Nathaniel stood, slightly bent over, chest heaving in his fatigue. Towering over the human, Leviathan looked down on him, a look of displeasure etched in the being's features.

" _ **Beating me at my own game—**_ " Leviathan transmitted to the human's mind, his coil-like body snaking around, barely shaking his head in disappointment. " **—** _ **is not possible.**_ "

Nathaniel shook his head in anger. " _What else do you want me to do then?_ " He asked. " _How am I going to transcend to the next level if I can't even hold my own?_ "

Leviathan ignored the query, turning instead to face the horizon. He scanned the endless lines of ocean, seeming unaware of Nathaniel's expectancy for an answer.

"Terin is coming," Leviathan announced, making the human look out into the horizon as well. Although he couldn't see, Nathaniel could sense the mind of his old friend making a cautionary way here.

" _ **Now, about your '**_ _ **transcendence**_ _ **to the next level',**_ " Leviathan began, his gigantic body slowly losing form, tendrils of psychic power melting away and melding onto and into the human.

" _ **The answer is a simple one:**_ _ **a**_ _ **llow me to reign.**_ "

" _Over my dead body._ "

" _ **Then you'll have to wait until the Dominus Act can be completed.**_ "

" _Again, over my dead body._ "

By now, Leviathan had fully instilled himself in his 'vessel', leaving the human with one last word. " _ **Then you never will be able to.**_ "

The truth of these words echoed inside the psychic's head for some time as Nathaniel watched Terin come in closer, using Aphelion's radio to broadcast his own voice abroad.

"Could I ask where in your right mind you thought that actually training against Leviathan was a good idea?!" Terin called out, his voice louder than normal. Nathaniel knew where this was going. He was just going to let Terin finish his rant before he spoke his piece.

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

" _Wow, short rant._ "

...

...

...

"Well?" Terin asked.

"I just figured that we were far enough away and could duke it out."

"Far enough away, huh?" Terin quoted, anger easily heard as the lombax continued showing Nathan how he was _not_ far away.

"One: colliding ocean waves. Some were harmless; others not so much. I'm just relieved by the planet's topography. Two: energy output. Don't even get me started on what that actually means—I'm just glad that you have the necessary control. And three: Leviathan himself. The psychic power he releases when outside of you is fatal to anyone not properly protected. Even I can't stand it."

Nathaniel bowed his head. That last point threw any chance he had of an argument out the window. So, raising his head to again take in the view of Aphelion, the psychic said meekly, "Yeah, I hear you."

"Hearing and understanding are two different things."

"Okay, I understand you." Nathaniel finished. It irked him to repeat himself, but Terin was right. Said lombax sighed heavily from inside Aphelion. Even though he couldn't see it, Nathaniel knew that Terin shook his head in disappointment. Despite not being related in any way, Nathaniel looked toward Terin as a 'cool big brother' or 'the one who always kept his cool'.

Either way one looked at it, Terin was still cool.

The lombax had took it upon himself to see to it that Nathaniel kept himself in check, despite have no way to beat Nathaniel should the psychic ever actually try to fight him… or anyone else. It was something the human very much respected about the lombax. Coming out of his thoughts, the psychic drifted toward Aphelion's canopy and knocked against the glass. Terin opened up for him and Nathaniel maneuvered himself to sit in the shotgun seat.

Placing a hand on the psychic's shoulder, Terin nodded approvingly toward his friend and closed the canopy shut.

"So, you want to know what I think of Liege being within the Federation and what he possibly knows?" Nathaniel said suddenly, mildly surprising the lombax.

"Can't keep anything from anything from you, can I?" Terin asked, a faint curl of a smile tugging at the lombax's lips.

The psychic smiled himself. "Nope."

 _ **R &C**_

"Incoming message: the point of origin is from Voklin," a trooper announced, swiveling his seat around to face Captain Grayman.

"Put it on the big screen," Grayman addressed, nodding toward the trooper.

Up from where he stood on the lookout, Quincy quickly scanned the console in front of him for the intercom. Flicking the switch beneath the speaker, Captain Grayman said, "Talwyn and Clank to the bridge. I repeat, Talwyn and Clank to the bridge."

He flicked the switch off as the main terminal screen came to life with the familiar faces of Quinlin Kard and Aven Noss... along with some new ones.

Standing a few paces behind, but still easily noticeable was a broad-shouldered, able-bodied Norvalik with a mess of spiky black hair. With a firm grip he held the next figure who was bound tight with a pale, yellow cord of magic. In addition, he was also gagged with a rough piece of leather which covered most of his straight-lined face. Like the Magistrate, the bound person had a head full of grayish hair. Unlike him however, were the pair of bright, piercing orange eyes that glared murder to whomever saw them. Beside that, he betrayed no other emotion.

"Captain Quincy Grayman," Quinlin began, giving a small bow of respect. "The news I bring to you is urgent. Where are Nathaniel, Terin and their allies?"

"Talwyn and Clank should be arriving shortly; Nathaniel and Terin are currently out at the present time; and Ratchet is still under hospital care."

"Then nothing's changed?"

"No, it hasn't."

At that point, both Talwyn came running in, out of breath while placing her hands on her knees. Clank wasn't far behind, but as a robot he wasn't hampered from such an issue. Upon entry he looked toward the screen, seeing the faces from the Federation.

"Hello Quinlin, hello Aven," Clank greeted, coming to stand in place next to the allonian captain. He was followed quickly by Talwyn.

"Nice to see you as well Clank," Aven answered.

"What's the meaning of this?" Talwyn inquired, making Aven nod toward the black haired Norvalik who reached for the gag and pulled hard, removing the leather from the captive's face.

"Behold the traitor," spoke the Norvalik. "Zalirus Tanstar."

 _ **R &C**_

" _Breathe_ _In. Breathe Out. Breathe In. Breathe Out._ "

With every breath Ratchet stretched, going until it hurt too much. Relaxing, he sat himself down on the bedside, taking a deep breath.

"You are one stubborn lombax," someone said, drawing Ratchet's surprised attention. The guest in question was an older allonian male. Donned in a simple red tee, blue pants and brown shoes, the allonian carried a brown bag and set it on a stand next to the lombax's bed.

"Who are you?" Ratchet questioned, a hint of irritation heard in his speech.

The elder took a chair from the wall and set it down next to the stand. Sitting down on the chair, the stranger grabbed the bag and reached into it. Ratchet watched him movements intently… and with mounting interest.

"Hello," Ratchet said, giving a hard snap.

What the man pulled out of the bag surprised the lombax. There were two items: wrapped in foil and unknown to the lombax. Ratchet noted that one was considerably smaller than the other—perhaps half the size. Taking the smaller one, the elder offered it to Ratchet. The lombax took it tentatively and set the sandwich down on his lap before repeating his query. "Who are you?"

"Maten. I know your other friends. I'm off today so I'd figured I'd stop by and see how everyone's favorite lombax was holding up."

"Well, in that case, I'd say stubborn is going a little too far, don't you think?" Ratchet replied, beginning to unwrap the foil. It revealed a sandwich. Slices of meat lie hidden between two colored slices of bread. On top of the meat was what Ratchet assumed to be a variety of vegetables and cheeses. It looked appetizing to the lombax.

"Facts can't go too far. If they do, it's because you let them."

Ratchet gave a short 'mmm' before holding the sandwich up to his face before asking the old cab driver what this was.

"A Karamal. Best sandwich there is. Well, assuming you get everything I have on it."

"Many thanks," Ratchet said, wrapping the Karamal back in the foil. "But I can't eat right now."

"Why not?"

Ratchet waved him off. "It's nothing."

"They can't be starving you in here. Are they?" Maten inquired, setting his own sandwich down on the foil.

"No, no. They're not starving me, it's just hard to eat that's all."

"Well, you could always cut it up, you know, make them bite-size," Maten suggested, taking another bite.

"It's okay Maten, this was very generous of you. I'll save it for later."

"Your decision."

Taking a deep breath and bracing himself, Ratchet stood up again, straight and rigid as a post before beginning anew his stretching exercises.

"Is that okay?" Maten asked curiously, watching the lombax.

"If by okay, you mean: "Did I get permission to this?" then no," Ratchet responded, hissing when he went too far. Maten put his sandwich on the stand then scrambled out of his seat to help Ratchet, but the lombax raised a hand, silently telling him to stay put. Ratchet managed to straighten himself out again after some very painful moments.

"I'm okay Maten," Ratchet said, sitting down on his bed. "I've been through worse... possibly."

The old cab driver sat back down, grabbed his sandwich, and began to eat again. "If you say so."

 _ **R &C**_

After receiving permission to land, Terin pulled Aphelion in through the bay's energy field and set her down next to Zenith. Exiting out of the cockpit, Nathaniel and Terin both said their goodbyes before continuing their 'somewhat' heated argument.

"I'm still surprised that you actually saw Liege and let him pass you by," Nathaniel began, bay doors receding as both he and the lombax approached them.

"Hey, you didn't notice we were being listened in on by Liege," Terin countered, making Nathan 'tsk' with annoyance before swinging right back with another retort.

"You're the one with big ears."

"Just because I have big ears doesn't mean that I can hear silence."

"I can. It's just very quiet."

Terin rolled his eyes. "Gotcha. Was that before or after you activated your powers?"

"Okay, we get it, we both suck. But seriously, you didn't notice the crab-like pincers?"

"I did. But do you know exactly how many different races come to the Ring? Plus, everyone there all wear robes. What was I supposed to do?"

To that last question, Nathaniel didn't answer for he had nothing to say. Except say how that was a really good point. But he wasn't about to go there. Suddenly, someone came running toward them at full speed. A quick rundown told both of them that this person worked on the bridge. Terin held a hand up to stop him.

"What's the rush?" He asked.

"Captain Grayman wants to see you, now!" The bridge worker commanded. Casting side-long glances, both heroes nodded to each other before taking off, reaching their destination quickly. Everyone turned to see who it was that entered when they heard the sliding doors open. The psychic's irises turned purple for a split-second, picking up the gist of the urgency. He transmitted the lowdown to Terin.

" _Understood,_ " the lombax replied.

"Well, well, this is a surprise. How's the hunt for Travel The Days going?" Someone from the video asked. Nathaniel and Terin both turned to face the screen, seeing a pair of orange eyes looking right back at them. Zalirus wore himself a confident smirk before a backhand from the big Norvalik snapped the traitor's head back.

"Speak only when spoken to worm," he told Zalirus.

"That's okay Keer, I can take it from here," Nathaniel said, shaking his head with disdain at Tanstar as he began to levitate toward the main terminal. Meanwhile, Terin talked to Clank, Talwyn, and Quincy about what they gathered thus far.

Talwyn answered for them.

"For nearly as far back as you began searching for a way to travel through time, our 'friend' here has been associating with Liege."

"Did you get a reason out of him for why?" Terin interrupted, genuinely concerned.

"Seems like Liege has a plan to build a vast empire, but he needs some help, hence the massive armada of Fell-Enk ships heading our direction."

"So why Travel The Days then?" Terin questioned, looking at each of them. "Why not kill us then build one in the present?"

Everyone but Terin shared a concerned look of unease, unsure as to how to continue the conversation from here. Finally, Clank spoke up.

"Because Liege is in need of assistance."

"From who?"

"From the Cragmites."

A knot formed in the lombax's gut. An unsettling feeling fell over the four of them, with three of them knowing that the next thing said would yield results… bad results. Terin sputtered out his next question, still boggled as to why Cragmites are necessary to Liege's plan. Again, Talwyn spoke for the group.

"Terin, there's no easy way to tell you this but, Liege himself is a Cragmite."

* * *

 **AN: (12-21-17) Edited.**


	21. The Vision Of Terin

_(Fifteen hours remaining)_

"Terin, there's no easy way to tell you this but, Liege himself is a cragmite." It took a moment for Terin to process Talwyn's words, but when he did, Terin started shaking, losing all connection to reality.

...

...

...

"Terin?" Someone asked, worried. It sounded to Terin as if it were Nathaniel. He couldn't tell. Instead, the lombax felt his strength leave him and without it, he collapsed, blurred images of his companions before his sight as black unconsciousness took him under in short order.

* * *

He didn't know where he was at first, for the images were a messy smear of projections, but soon they came into focus. Then sound followed in much the same manner.

From where he stood, Terin could see that he was reliving the nightmare about Tachyon's attack on the Lombaxes. But from past experience with his nightmares, this didn't feel right. The nightmares always came in fragments—his mind never wanting to relive the grim reality he remembered so well. In addition, this area looked unfamiliar to him. From all the wreckage and collapsed metal structures, Terin recognized the area to be somewhere downtown. He knew his family was at home when downtown was laid to waste. It was from home that his family made their way to the Court of Azimuth. It meant that he never passed this area.

This however felt more... real. Like a premonition.

Terin watched as panicked lombaxes blew right by him, passing through his intangible form. From directly ahead came the sounds of Tachyon's mechanized Drophyd forces making their way toward him and the crowd. Instinctively, Terin reached for his Praetorian Omniwrench. The one that always rested on his upper back. In reality—if this really was a premonition, or a vision, or whatnot—he knew he couldn't do anything. But that wasn't going to stop him from trying. Anger rose within him as he brought his wrench to his side, dropping into 'guard stance': wrench staff fully extended, one blade head gently resting on the ground, the other sticking out from behind the lombax's head.

"I do this for you, my fellow people," Terin whispered before dashing toward the enemy. Planting a blade head firmly into the ground, Terin jumped skyward, vaulting through the air before coming down hard on a Drophyd. This failed to do anything as he passed right through it. Terin turned to watch that same Drophyd fall to a lombax, its wrench slamming into the glass dome. In question the lombax's fur was covered in light orange with deep blue triangles. He wore a shirt light sky blue in color, black pants, and white shoes etched with blue lines. The lombax wielded a gunmetal colored wrench, looking none the worse for wear for having just pummeled a Drophyd into the ground. Terin watched as his brave kinsman felled four more Drophyds before a series of laser fire put him down for good. Burn marks were left in the lombax's clothes and flesh as the attack punched right through him.

Rage burned brighter within Terin now, etching its hated look on the lombax as the all-consuming emotion threatened to overtake him, making him grip his wrench with a grip like iron. His knuckles turned white beneath his armored glove.

"Va di uner wis?"

Despite the intensity of the battle around him, the words were crystal clear, as if they were in his own head. Terin looked around, eyes darting throughout the broken battleground. There—on his left, out of his peripheral—Terin spotted it: a figure in a heavy brown robe, most features obscured except for two huge, purple claws. Terin gasped in surprised, recoiling in fear a few steps.

"Liege," Terin started, facing his opponent, taking stance, a determined look forming the lombax's features. Liege spoke nothing in return, instead turning on heel and dashing away. Terin wasted no time in giving the cragmite haste, pushing himself to not lose sight of his enemy. Passing through what seemed to be an endless wave upon wave of Drophyds—and plenty of fallen lombaxes—Terin was unrelenting as he chased Liege down, reaching the outskirts of the metropolitan area and passing into the residential district. While in better shape than downtown, one could see that not even the quiet neighborhoods were safe from the wrath of Tachyon and his armies.

He noticed it a second too late.

A blinding flash followed by an intensive boom were all Terin could process as he was flung sideways, skidding across the dusty ground several tens of cubits away. At first, there was a bright light, fading soon into blurred darkness; while all the time screeching rang his ears. " _Darn,_ " Terin thought, slamming his fists on the ground, using it as a crutch to get up. He collapsed as his whole body cried out in pain. Terin layed there for a few moments while the pain subsided. Grabbing his wrench, Terin used that instead. It helped little, but that was enough for him to get on his knees. From there, Terin took a quick survey of himself and saw that the left side of his armor was partly eroded away, leaving spots of raw, bare skin. Whatever Liege used was effective. And it hurt. Plenty.

It took more precious moments for Terin to stand back up, only for him to fall back on his knees, a pain like fire coursed through him. " _Get up, Terin,_ " he demanded of himself, pushing against the sharp stinging of his peeled wounds. At last he stood, bending his knees against the continuous pain as he activated his hoverboots. Over the flat terrain Terin made ground quickly. Finally, he arrived at the spot of the explosion and Terin turned to look toward the direction Liege went.

It was there that he saw it: a fine, two-story home mostly intact—with the front door busted into and a gaping rooftop. And as with Liege's words, Terin heard the activity inside the house with an almost astute acuteness despite the range between the two. With no wasted second, Terin was off again, quickly closing the gap between him and his target. When he was satisfied with the distance between him and the house, Terin cut off his hoverboots, ejecting a wrench head into the ground as he threw himself in the air, through the large hole in the roof.

Quickly activating his hoverboots again to slow his descent, Terin fell onto the attic floor and dashed toward the door which led to the second floor. Yanking it open, screams, followed by both grunts and curses filtered into the attic, indicating the action to be really close. As Terin was about to jump down, not even worrying to extend the ladder, a big form flew by below him, flying by to quick for Terin to get a good look at it. He jumped down anyway, wrench at the ready as he crouched to soften the landing.

Terin risked a quick peek behind him to see who it was. Dressed in an explorer's vest and pants a color halfway between beige and khaki, the burly stranger wore a hat that matched the rest of his attire. Thick brown hiking boots finished the man's wears. Terin recognized the giant figure to be Markazian by the light, sun-toned skin. However, the most keen feature was the bushy red mustache that covered the lower half of his face. Lifting his head, the stranger looked at Terin before exclaiming weakly, yet still resonating with an impressive depth, "Look out!"

Terin barely had anytime to face forward before taking sight of an oncoming torrent of bullets. Unable to deflect each one, Terin instead blocked each one simply. Liege lowered his blaster and looked at Terin.

"Drop the gun, now!" Terin commanded, voice raised in anger, holding his Praetorian wrench in front of him, the battle-scarred weapon fully erect. Then—much to the lombax's surprise—another person jumped on top of Liege, slamming a grey, one-bladed wrench onto the cragmite's head. Roaring in pain, Liege whipped around in fury, throwing his right claw around blindly, easily missing his attacker. From behind, Terin heard the giant call out, "Nailed him, Kaden!"

Kaden?

Terin's vision went over to the stranger who attacked Liege, and yes, Terin could see that the stranger was indeed lombax. Donned in a red holo-armor, the lombax's fur was a yellow, somewhat golden color which was beaded and matted in sweat. Light brown triangles colored his ears which were held high in alert. However, his most striking feature was a pair of green eyes. A green that could be described in any number of dozen ways. A green he'd only ever seen on one other lombax: Ratchet. His son.

"Hang on, Kaden. I'm coming!" With that, Terin dashed across the hall and into the open room. Displaying great combat prowess, Terin could see that Liege was holding his own against the athleticism of Kaden. At this rate, the battle would most likely draw out until one of them became too exhausted to continue. Terin leaped forward, wrench ready for an overhead slam. However, Liege swung a claw around to meet the lombax and swatted him out of the air with ease, sending Terin colliding against the broken holovision.

"Get out of here!" Kaden commanded of Terin. "Run for the Court!" Narrowly avoiding a lunge, Kaden rolled away, giving him more space. He held his wrench high, a sturdy block ready. It was here that the markazian made his appearance. Blaster at the ready, the giant took aim and fired quickly, bullet after bullet making their way toward the cragmite. Under his battered cloak, Liege smiled... then dissembled his body into small particles. The bullets harmlessly passed through his body and Liege moved quickly toward Kaden.

Kaden somersaulted out of the way, leaving Liege to materialize empty-handed. The lombax scrambled up and stood next to the markazian, wrench at the ready. Terin stood up dazed, glancing quickly between Liege, Kaden and the markazian giant. Taking hold of his wrench, Terin re-extended the shaft and quickly dropped to guard stance. It was here that he picked up hushed whispers from Kaden and his ally.

"Do you think you can stall him long enough, Kaden?" Terin heard the giant ask. Kaden nodded affirmatively, telling his friend to grab his son and the Dimensionator and get out of here. With reluctance, the markazian agreed before turning on heel, wishing Kaden luck before racing toward the master bedroom.

"You too, Max."

Terin looked visibly confused. Max? As in Max Apogee.

Suddenly, it hit him. Like a jab from the Walloper but only worse. Both Ratchet and Talwyn's respective fathers were here, fighting Liege in some sort of vision of the future. One that Terin was allowed to act upon. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye—forcing the silver lombax to break off his train of thought—Liege rushed toward Kaden only for Terin to come from the side, giving the cragmite a full-on body slam, knocking Liege off-balance. At once Kaden entered into the fray, slamming an elbow onto Liege's face, pummeling the cragmite to the floor. Liege whipped a claw in a semi-circle, nailing Kaden and sending him flying toward the wall on the far side of the room. Terin avoided the attack by jumping backward out of the attacking arc range of Liege's claw.

In moments, Liege was standing mostly upright when Terin smacked a wrench blade against him. The cragmite raised his right claw, letting the wrench come into contact with the hard front-side carapace of his claw, largely mitigating the damage dealt. From inside his cloak, Liege pulled out his blaster and prepared to fire at Terin when a gray wrench slammed into the blaster, shattering it into pieces. Growling, Liege turned to face Kaden, only to have said lombax suddenly be on top of him, slamming his clasped hands in an overhead slam, knocking Liege's downward.

"Kaden!" Terin called out, tossing his omniwrench toward the gold-furred lombax, who caught it out of mid-air and held it in Praetorian guard stance, his form and stance executed near-perfect. A lunge from Liege was easily parried and then smacked out of the way by Kaden. Leaping backward, Kaden took a quick look over the shaft of the dual-bladed wrench, wondering what kind of Praetorian weapon he was wielding.

"Flail model," Kaden remarked, looking mildly surprised. "Good choice, kid."

Loud roaring got both Lombaxes' attention as Liege bared both his claw-arm appendages menacingly, mouth open wide, revealing jagged, speckled teeth.

"Alright kid, you ready for this?" Kaden asked, handing off the wrench toward Terin.

Taking the weapon from the older lombax, Terin responded, "I am Kaden. By the way, the name's Terin. Terin Arc."

"Terin? But aren't you supposed to be a young kit at this time?" Kaden questioned, slightly baffled at this lombax's simple introduction. Kaden knew the Arc clowder, especially Gavin, and the similarities between Gavin and Terin were not few and far in between. The silver coating of Terin's fur was near identical to the young lombax's father. The dark green triangles, however, were only similar in regard to the fact that both emerald and dark green were two different shades of the same one color. " _Must of been a product of both mother and father,_ " Kaden thought, finishing his mental inspection.

Terin shrugged, unsure of how to tell Kaden how he believed that he was experiencing a sort of vision. "It's complicated."

Kaden smiled. "Well, I'd be a fool not to ask for help, Terin. You ready?"

Nodding affirmatively, both lombaxes turned to face Liege, who was simply glaring daggers at them.

"What's the plan then?" Terin asked.

"Simple. Allow Max to get our people safely to the Contingency and give him time to hopefully hide the Dimensionator."

"And this Max... is his last name by any chance Apogee?"

Kaden glanced at Terin curiously. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

"Okay then. You take his left, I'll take his right, we attack as one, alright?"

"Yes sir."

Watching the lombaxes move to circle him and cut off his flanks, Liege slowly lowered himself, raising his claws' front faces as blocks. He knew he didn't have many seconds left to think up of something before the lombaxes attacked him. Internally, Liege was furious. This wasn't going to plan. He let his gaze wander the room, looking for any advantages he could utilize. He knew that to his left was the hallway which led both downstairs and to the bedrooms—the master and two smaller ones. And currently, they were all standing in the bonus room, arranged in a way similar to that of a living room. Looking ahead, Liege saw the balcony door open with a nice view of the neighborhood in sight. Next to him lie Kaden's omniwrench.

It was in that moment he had a plan of action. He would just have to be patient.

Terin and Kaden attacked simultaneously, each movement in perfect unison. But still, Liege expected this of the two lombaxes. When he first began setting his time-traveling scheme into motion, Liege knew exactly who he would be dealing with. People who had either power or skill… or knew those who wielded it. However, in this fight, Liege needed to wait for an opening and to keep steady as the series of wrench smacks, elbows, kicks, and punches battered against him. Liege smiled, knowing that these attacks, while still hurting, were affecting his enemies more than it was affecting him. Their attacks were slowing down, but Kaden and Terin still refused to give up the onslaught. Each successful block of Liege's brought the lombaxes closer to defeat.

When Terin came in to swing his wrench horizontally, hoping to connect a solid blow against Liege, the cragmite saw his enemy's mistake. Both hands went into the swing. It was a deliberate move—meant to break a block. It was to end the fight as the opponent would have nothing to protect himself with. Too bad Liege was not going to the one on the ground defeated.

" _If you wish to end it lombax, just say so._ "

Liege phased out and Terin's wrench passed right through the cragmite's intangible form, colliding against the wall, making a solid dent. Liege turned and moved next to Kaden, phasing himself back in. Dropping downward, Liege attempted to sweep Kaden. However, Kaden jumped away, landing next to Terin. Lifting a foot, Liege slammed it against the base of Kaden's wrench, sending it flying upright. Liege waited for a moment, scrambling up hurriedly while the gray weapon hung in hang time. Once gravity caught hold of the wrench, Liege smacked it out of the air, sending it hastily toward Kaden's neck, hoping the blade head will drive itself into the wall, either trapping or beheading the golden lombax. No such luck. Kaden narrowly avoided the speeding wrench, leaving it imbedded in the wall.

" _So they still have wind left in them... pity._ " Liege could see now how his ancestors were fought to a standstill in the Great War. It disgusted him.

In an enclosed space, Liege was just too big to fight efficiently. Without thinking, he turned on his heel and darted for the open balcony door, knocking it off its track, shattering glass as the door collided against the granite balcony. He jumped over the railing, landing on the ground with a heavy 'thump', dust swirling around him as the cragmite stood back up. Together, Kaden and Terin rushed over to the railing, looking over to where Liege started running down the road toward the city.

"If he makes it to Max, it's all over," Kaden began, pulling himself up on the railing. "You have hoverboots?" He asked Terin. The younger lombax nodded affirmatively, lifting a foot to reveal a silver and green boot. Rotating his foot, Terin showed Kaden two holes where the jet blue flames would extricate, pushing the silver lombax off the ground.

Kaden nodded his approval. "Let's go then." Falling off the railing, Kaden activated his hoverboots, blue flames quickly turning orange as Kaden slowed his descent. Terin followed in pursuit. Once on the ground, both lombaxes covered ground quickly, soon catching up and overtaking the cragmite, sending the villain face first into the dirt.

Liege quickly lifted himself up, whipping a claw around the second he was back on his feet. It failed to do anything beside opening the cragmite up for attack, which both lombaxes took advantage of, knocking Liege off balance. Rolling with the force of the attack, Liege fell back on his hands and flipped himself upward, landing back on the ground in a way that was anything but graceful. Liege sprinted forward, feinting a lunge from the his left claw, hoping the lombaxes would commit to a side. Both lombaxes separated—another mistake—with Kaden taking the right while Terin took the left.

Liege swung around to his right, throwing full force his elbow into Kaden. Without thinking, Kaden stepped backward, catching Terin's wrench out of the air, then bounded in on Liege. The cragmite smiled, moving with the direction of his elbow, turning himself around before sticking his foot out in mid-air, kicking Kaden square in the gut. The golden lombax was sent flying away, landing on the ground with a thud.

He didn't move.

With one lombax down, Liege turned on the other one, beginning with a broadside slice, stopping Terin short from attacking the cragmite further.

"Scon, Elmbx?" Liege asked callously, smirking beneath his hood.

"No. Just angry," Terin replied, holding his head high, chest puffed out in defiance with his arms against his side, bent slightly at the elbow. Liege looked at Terin, then slowly let his gaze move right to the burning city. Terin followed suit, and the sight of his burning home reignited the rage that he didn't notice had gone out.

"How dare you?" Terin seethed, hands curling into fist. He again turned his head toward Liege, his voice raising from a gritting whisper to a loud outburst.

"WE SPARED TACHYON! SHOWED HIM MERCY WHEN WE DID NOT HAVE TO! WE BELIEVED THAT HE COULD BE CHANGED! DIFFERENT THAN THE REST OF YOUR KIND! AND NOW YOU DARE HELP HIM SLAUGHTER MY PEOPLE BY ALTERING THE PAST!"

By now, the rage coursing through the lombax started to make him shake. Unconsciously, Terin dug his fingers deeper into his armor.

"Your 'emperor' should revere the ground we walk on," Terin spat.

Liege's reply was simple. "Vi enporti marlo kar bata mezk."

"You're wrong. Now die with your 'enporti'."

Without another word, Terin rushed forward, sidestepping to the right as Liege threw a wicked cross that easily missed the lombax, exposing the cragmite's side. Jumping upward, Terin spun to the right, delivering a roundhouse kick on the cragmite's head, driving Liege down to the ground from the sheer compact force. However, Liege caught himself only to have his face collide against the dirt as a heavy boot slammed against the bottom of his neck.

"I said it myself, Liege," Terin said, raw anger taking complete control of the lombax, his tone no longer cool or even. "You _will_ die with your emperor."

Removing his boot, Terin maneuvered it under Liege before kicking the cragmite over. Facing up at the smoke-speckled sky of Fastoon, Liege went livid thinking about how Terin had him beat. With that thought, Liege threw a claw at Terin, hoping to drive it through the lombax. But—to his complete surprise—Terin caught the claw with both hands, stopping it completely.

"What did I tell you, monster?" Terin demanded, throwing Liege's claw against the ground before slamming a boot on the cragmite's shoulder, making Liege roar in pain. A solid kick to the jaw shut Liege up as Terin used that foot to lower the cragmite's hood, revealing the creature's insidious face.

What greeted the lombax made his blood boil.

Like Tachyon whose face did not resemble the cragmite's in most aspects, Liege's face, however, looked more akin to his kind than the self-proclaimed cragmite emperor. Judging from bloated skin, Terin assumed that Liege was close in relation to the Cragmite Warriors. Black beads glared into crimson irises as Terin pressed a button on the watch encircling his right wrist. A buzzing noise emanated from the lombax's hand as Terin extended his arm toward where his wrench lay next to Kaden. At first the Praetorian weapon twitched slightly, before moving up toward the pull of Terin's hand. The wrench flew toward the lombax who caught it effortlessly, spinning it around before planting a blade head against Liege's neck.

In response, Liege threw a cross from his free arm, Terin simply smacked it away, the lombax's rage simply denying the cragmite any options. Taking the brief moment of interruption, Liege phased out, scrambling to stand while currently immaterial. What Liege didn't expect however, when he phased back in, was a blade head suddenly jutting out from his chest, purple blood gushing from the impact, decorating wrench, armor and dirt.

The world around Liege grew blurry as he stumbled steps forward before collapsing. Sprawled on the ground, Liege looked up at the gray-yellow sky as blackness creeped in, the final moments of his life fleeting like the wind. Terin waited until his enemy's eyes closed before he retracted the blade head. After that, he cautiously stepped forward, coming up next to Liege. Terin poked the cragmite a few times with his wrench, ready to move at any hostile movement. Nothing happened.

Terin exhaled, slumping his shoulders as the rage and adrenaline left him, leaving only exhaustion and peace stirring in the young lombax. In the distance, a crackling like lighting was heard. Terin snapped his attention toward the noise. Even though he could not see it, Terin believed that Max made it to the Court safely and transported his kind to safety.

"Thank y—" Terin began before a strange pain wracked through him, making the lombax drop his wrench and fall to his knees. Clutching his stomach as if the pain emanated from there, Terin started coughing violently, the pain tripling in strength before the silver lombax began vomiting. A fusion of both tan solids and clear liquids spewed at the ground before Terin's knees. After the first wave of bile had exited, Terin collapsed, darkness taking hold of him once again.

In his final conscious moments, Terin saw something on the inside of his vision: faint white lines in the darkness, forming a tall rectangular shape. Once formed, the shape spoke, its voice not of anything physical. "You have succeeded. I hope you learn something from this."

* * *

He awoke in a cold sweat, panting heavily. Blank, white light greeted Terin as the lombax looked upward, taking note of his location. Groaning, he blinked a few times, raising his thumb and index fingers to rub his eyes. To his right he heard someone asking if he was okay. From the sound monotone, Terin guessed that it was Clank who asked.

"Yeah Clank, I am. What happened?"

Sitting up, Terin faced the others, which consisted of Clank, Talwyn, Nathaniel and another person—a female—complete in white garb which contrasted well against her raven black hair that fell slightly pass her shoulders. Terin assumed correctly that she was a member of the ship's medical staff.

"I don't know what happened either, dude," Nathaniel interrupted, sitting at the base of Terin's bed. "After Talwyn told you that Liege himself was cragmite and that he wanted his race back to help him take over the universe, you collapsed. Immediately, you were hauled off here where we watched you stirred in your unconscious state."

"What do you mean 'stirred'?" Terin inquired.

"Nathaniel's putting it… lightly," Talwyn cut in, all attention now directed to her. "You were thrashing about wildly, almost as if you were defending yourself. It took a lot out of Nate to detain you."

" _That's weird,_ " Terin thought, dumbfounded. In his vision, Terin had no interference from outside of his vision. To learn that he was striking wildly didn't help him at all. Terin must have shown his concerns because Clank spoke up next. "Terin, while you were out, I... I felt a presence. Almost like an energy field was surrounding you. The power with which it had easily dwarfs Nathaniel's own. Did you, in any way, sense this presence as well?"

"I didn't feel anything. But I saw something," Terin answered, watching closely Clank's features as the Zoni processed this.

"It concerns me that there may be a third, unknown party taking interest in our actions," Clank finally said. Terin looked about as worried as the rest of the party.

Deciding to change the subject, Terin asked about Tanstar to which Nathan gave the lombax the lowdown.

"...then finally, I told them to give Zalirus the ax." Here, Nathaniel slid a hand across his neck, signifying the punishment to be carried out before finishing. "Now, come on, we have to make up for lost time."

Terin blinked, a mixture of curiosity and dread creeping in as he watched his friends leave the room. Throwing off his blanket, Terin waved good-bye to the doctor as he followed the others. "How long was I out?"

" _Nine hours,_ " Nathaniel transmitted into the lombax's head. " _That only leaves us with six of them._ "

* * *

 **AN: (12-22-17) Edited.**

 **AN #2: MY FAVORITE CHAPTER OF THE STORY HAS FINALLY GOTTEN THE "EDIT TREATMENT"!**

 **And now, T** ** **ranslations:****

 **"Va di uner wis?" = **"Why do you do this?"****

 **"Scon, Elmbx?" = "Scared, Lombax?"**

" **Vi enporti marlo kar bata mezk.** " = **"My emperor doesn't have to revere anything."**

 ** **Now, to keep everything... somewhat... the same around here: I do have a second story, a prequel to this called 'Project: Focal Point'. Without giving away plot points, it will serve as an origin story for Terin as he grows up, joins the Praetorian Guard, and finally ends up in the Voklin Galaxy. So, if any of you are interested in the idea, feel free to click on my profile, scroll to the bottom, and read to your heart's content. And again, to all of you that have either faved, followed, or left a review, (Which is a lot more than when I had posted this) I thank you. So until next time...****

 ** **Max out.****


	22. Welcome Back, Ratchet

"Again, thank you for what you've done," Talwyn said as she walked along the hall with Nathaniel and June. They reached the end of the long corridor and turned to face the door marked Z, 14-Z, signifying that behind the simple steel door was a lombax by the name of Ratchet.

"It's no problem, but your friend is one stubborn patient. At least every other check-up was either me or my husband having to tell him to either stop or slow down."

"That's Ratchet," acceded Talwyn, standing next to Nathaniel as June moved to open the door. Once opened, the three entered to find Ratchet sitting on the bed, back straight against the wall, wearing a blue gown and reading a book.

"Hey," Ratchet greeted to the three as they crossed the threshold. They stood at the foot of the bed. Nathaniel was struck with surprise as he pointed a finger at Ratchet, trying to find something tangible to say to such a sight.

"Obviously, we came to the wrong room," the psychic finally managed to get out. Ratchet smiled, closed the book, then put it off to the side. Mechanically, he grabbed the blanket covering him and pulled it off him, allowing him to maneuver his legs off the bed. After doing so, Ratchet scooted himself off, bare feet resting against the smooth tile floor.

"Nope, it's still me," Ratchet replied, giving a toothy smile as he prepared to do a stretching exercise... much to June's annoyance.

"Ratchet!" Dr. Raden admonished. This earned amused chuckles from both the lombax and the psychic. Talwyn rolled her eyes, then cleared her throat, grabbing the attention of the amused men.

"On a scale of one to ten, how are you feeling?" Talwyn inquired, turning and nodding toward Nathaniel who, courtesy of his psychic powers, brought in a briefcase. After the psychic took hold of it, he again faced Ratchet and opened the briefcase, revealing a neatly folded pair of complete black and neon green combat holo-armor.

"Tal helped pick it out. After having your old holo-armor cut open, we all decided that you'll need new armor, especially one that absorbed both brunt force and kinetic energy."

"Thanks you two," Ratchet said, watching as Nathaniel set the open briefcase on the lombax's bed. "And to answer your first question, Tal: three."

"Ouch," the psychic noted, raising an eyebrow toward June, who huffed and pointed to the clipboard that she carried. It read simply that the 'patient is stubborn', among other things.

"Okay, okay, can't argue with that," Nathaniel conceded, raising his hands in surrender.

"I can walk. Sort of. I just need to go slow," Ratchet supplied, earning a nod of approval from June.

"In a day and a half, that's pretty impressive," Nathaniel said, offering the lombax a fist bump. "Of course, what do I know?"

"At this point in time, less than I," Ratchet said with a knowing smile, returning the offered fist bump.

Nathaniel snorted in laughter, peeping that he just got burned.

"Now that you're both done being boys," Talwyn began, rolling her eyes a second time. "It's time to grow up."

This drew surprised expressions from Nathaniel and Ratchet, however, only the lombax said something in retort. "Whoa, whoa, _I'm_ being a boy?"

"Debatable," Nathaniel chirped, earning a look from everyone in the room. Shaking his head, he walked out the door, grumbling as he went away.

"I told him that now's not the time," Talwyn said aloud, although to no one in particular.

"It doesn't matter now," Ratchet started. "He'll be back to his old self soon. So, what's been going on while I was down here?"

"Lots. But first, get dressed, you're getting checked out of here."

With that, June and Talwyn left the room and shut the door behind them as Ratchet turned to face the briefcase. He reached in and grabbed hold of the armor. Rubbing the fabric against his fingers, Ratchet noted it meshed well and felt comfortable. He pulled the armor out of the case and held them up from the shoulder pauldrons, letting it fall its full length.

Lines of the neon green traced diagonal lines around the circumference of the armor, going down from the chest emblem to the edge of the pants on the opposite leg. The pauldrons stuck out a little past the shoulders. Setting it down, Ratchet looked back in the briefcase and found a piece of paper with hastily scrawled notes, plus a pair of thick polyester gloves. Putting his hand in, Ratchet stretched it out, fully covering his left hand, wrist, and the beginnings of his arm in a firm, yet comfortable inside. Opening and closing his hand, Ratchet noted that the glove still needed to be loosened up as it gave some resistance to being flexed.

"Alright then, time to get to work," Ratchet said, reaching for the other glove and putting it on his right hand. He then reached behind him to untie the cord on the gown he wore. Upon accomplishing this, Ratchet slipped out of the gown and put on the holo-armor with some difficulties. But after he succeeded, Ratchet turned to face himself in the mirror attached behind the door.

According to the notes, pressing the chest emblem activated the armor. Doing so triggered the armor; the lines glowed brightly for a brief moment. Turning the emblem, Ratchet cycled through the various armor types. Black and sapphire: which, according to the notes, offered mild protection at a measly fifteen percent. Black and bronze: which offered double the protection than the previous level at thirty percent. Black and amethyst: which offered more protection than the other two at a steady fifty percent. Lastly was black and ivory: giving its wearer a solid sixty-five percent protection.

" _It's not Carbonox,_ " Ratchet mused, thinking of how holo-armor could never quite compare to the true armor that he used to wear on his earlier adventures.

When Ratchet pressed the emblem again, solidifying his choice on the black and ivory holo-armor, a full helmet appeared from between the shoulder blades, covering the whole of the lombax's face in addition to his ears. His tail also was protected in a black covering. He grabbed the notes and put them away in the briefcase, closing it afterward. Next, he picked up the gown and placed it over his shoulder. Lastly, he grabbed the briefcase, testing his arm. Seeing that he could carry it, Ratchet used his other hand to open up the door.

"This will do quite nicely," Ratchet said to himself, smiling beneath the helmet. "Thanks."

 _ **R &C**_

"Are you... ngh... nug...ugh... sure that's what it was, Clank?" Terin asked from underneath Zenith, screwing a bolt in. Accomplished, he patted the under carriage before he pushed himself out.

"To be honest, Terin, I do not know. But seeing as we are headed for Travel The Days and subsequently Fastoon, it seems to be the most logical conclusion," Clank replied, pressing a button on Zenith's console upon seeing Terin roll out from under his ship. The engine turned over, stuttering briefly before dying out completely. Standing up, Terin walked over to the table and slammed a fist against it, rattling its four legs.

A static noise started from beneath his head, agitating the lombax. Terin pressed his watch and brought it up to his face, asking as nicely as his current mood would allow him. "This is Terin, what's up?"

"Hey Terin, it's Tal. Did it work?" Talwyn questioned, earning a negative response from the ex-guard.

"I've run out of time. Just take Nathaniel to go get a new engine," Terin continued. "I believe Clank already gave you the specifications for a compatible engine."

"He did. I have them here with me. We've also just picked up Ratchet."

"Have you told him anything yet?" Terin inquired, wondering how Ratchet would take their most recent discovery.

"Nathaniel is doing that—"

"—annnnd?"

Talwyn's voice dropped to a whisper. "He hasn't told him yet."

"Okay." Terin nodded to himself. "Keep me posted then, Terin out."

With the connection broken, Terin sighed and lowered his head, miffed. Clank walked up beside him, placing the remote on the table in midst of the other tools.

"I know Ratchet—and although I have had my doubts before—I know him to be one who will always pull through, no matter what stands in his way," Clank began, pointing to Ratchet's omniwrench: the Millennium 12. Terin's gaze followed to where Clank had pointed to and saw the wrench lying up against the table, its proud sheen now blemished with scratch marks from Ratchet's previous battles with Jornik at the Apogee Space Station and Balloch's troopers at Raynarn's southern border.

"Liege will get what is coming for him," concluded Clank, grabbing a flat head screwdriver, offering it to Terin. The lombax took it, holding it out on the palm of his hand before his fingers enclosed the handle.

 _"_ _Vi enporti marlo kar bata mezk._ _"_

The words were still fresh in his mind. The anger was still raw in his emotions. And there wasn't anything that would stand in **his** way. " _Yes,_ " Terin told himself. " _Liege will get what's coming for him._ " The lombax looked for and found Clank picking up small tools strewn about their work space in the corner of the landing bay. Aphelion and Zenith waited, currently deactivated, waiting for the fast-approaching moment when Terin and company would leave in them for Tempalo. Terin met Clank at Aphelion as the Zoni robot was depositing the tools in a bright red toolbox. Terin stuck his foot out, blocking Clank from moving to pick up the box.

"Clank," Terin addressed, his tone strong and commanding. "Let's gets back to work."

 _ **R &C**_

Under the salmon colored sky of Alnek, Talwyn, Nathaniel, and Ratchet were nearing another platform. Unlike Platform 1, this platform before them was known as Platform 4. In comparison, Platform 4 was much flatter than 1 but far wider as warehouses and other not-so-tall buildings dotted the inside. Ships made their way in through an oval-shaped glass bowl beneath the platform where they would dock and be carried up an elevator system to the ground floor. Just like Platform 1 however, an expansive natural light emitter took dominance far above the center of the city.

Setting her ship in one of the many docking ports, Talwyn let go of the wheel and layed back in her seat, listening to Nathaniel and Ratchet as they conversed on the recent developments. Which, as of now, was the next course of action for the 'Travelers'.

And just like Terin, Ratchet's reaction to learning Liege's identity was not a good one. After hearing the shocking news, Ratchet—who still held the briefcase—made a move to slam it against the wall when his injuries cut him short. He pierced the air with a loud cry. Talwyn took the case away while Nathaniel and June checked him over. After a hesitant confirmation, June let Ratchet go with his friends and the psychic used telekinesis to carry Ratchet to Talwyn's ship. Setting the lombax in the shotgun seat, Nathaniel climbed in the back while Talwyn took the driver's seat.

"So we only have three hours left, and you two are going to stay behind to offer the Allonian Defense Force aid," Ratchet summarized, his helmet currently deactivated, and his vocal tone showing his obvious doubts.

"I know that only weakens us," Nathaniel replied, waving off Ratchet's statement. "But with two, possibly three enemies on the horizon, we need to heavily consider our options. Splitting up maybe what we need to succeed."

Ratchet turned to Talwyn asking her if she believed this. Talwyn nodded her approval. The lombax's worry was unmistakable.

"I know it's risky but, if we're all caught, it's over," Talwyn said. "All we need is one person to make it—"

"—and no one here is married to the idea of dying anytime soon," Nathaniel interrupted.

"Okay," Ratchet said at last, turning his head to face the fast approaching foundation of Platform 4. Silence occupied the cockpit as the three were carried up to ground floor. Upon arrival, Talwyn pressed a button which popped open the cockpit glass, leaving Nathaniel to activate his psychic aura. The markazian also gave the human the engine specifications which the psychic took and shoved into his hoodie pocket.

"Okay, I'll pick up the engine," Nathaniel spoke, levitating out of Talwyn's ship. "If I get back to find cuddling going—"

"—NATE!" Talwyn shouted, insulted. "JUST GO!"

The psychic smiled impishly before speeding away in a purple blur, leaving the markazian to close the cockpit glass shut with a groan, setting her head against the wheel.

"To be honest, Ratchet, I don't know how Terin deals with him," Talwyn said, a sudden weariness finding its way out with her words.

"Now you know how Clank feels about me… sometimes," Ratchet replied, adding that last part as an afterthought.

Sitting up again, Talwyn glanced over at Ratchet, a bit of surprise hidden behind a smile. "What's made you so honest suddenly?" she asked.

Chuckling, Ratchet threw his hands up as if in defeat and answered, "I don't know... reality maybe?"

"Well," Talwyn said, snaking her hand up to Ratchet's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "At least you're alright."

Ratchet returned the sentiment with another gentle squeeze of his own. "Thanks, Tal," he replied, giving her another smile before turning to look out the window, silently content with her physical show of support. And as a train of thought rolls on and on, Ratchet soon started thinking about what led to their plan of splitting up.

* * *

" _So_ _then,_ _what's the plan?_ " _Ratchet had asked as they peeled out of the hospital grounds. Surprisingly enough, Maten was not their cab driver. Instead, it was a short, middle-aged allonian who looked a bit rigid around the edges but only came off the three of them as passive and not much of a person socially. The driver quickly introduced himself as Zavier and that was that. After Talwyn showed Zavier her blue 'Destination Orb' and that it was registered_ _under_ _Captain Grayman, Zavier activated 'Hover' and zipped along above the streets leaving the three allies to talk about their next course of action without any commentary from Zavier._

 _"It was more something Terin threw out and we were more or less accepting of it. We don't actually have a 'set-in-stone' plan yet," Nathaniel said from shotgun, rearing his head to face both Ratchet and Talwyn._

 _"Well, what did Terin suggest?" Ratchet inquired._

 _"That the five of us split up. Terin and I stay here to help defend Raynarn while you, Clank and Talwyn go to Tempalo and get the Crolnan's aid in finding Travel The Days," Nathan replied. At the words 'split up', Ratchet must have reacted in someway that showed because the next thing he knew, Nathaniel invaded his mind as he finished._

 _"The Raynarn Defense Force know about the armada and I believe that they're ready for them. And yes, Captain Grayman was quite angry at me."_

 _A stern glare was all that the psychic got in reply—even while inside the lombax's head. Meanwhile, Talwyn added that Terin had fixed both her ship and Aphelion, and that Zenith was still inoperable, meaning that Terin would give them a call if he needed a new engine._

 _"Despite all these preparations," Nathaniel said aloud, canceling telepathic contact. "Terin and I got into an argument about who'll stay. I actually had opted for Talwyn to stay behind instead and help me out."_

 _"WHAT?!" Ratchet said, looking at Talwyn with complete shock. He winced in pain at the sudden movement and outburst, causing him to ground his teeth together, grunting._

 _"Ratchet," Talwyn started after placing a hand on his shoulder. "Terin's not thinking straight."_

 _"Whatever happened in his vision, he's angry," Nathaniel began. "Angry that Liege is a Cragmite and wishes to finish what Tachyon started. Angry that one of his own kin was badly injured at the hands of someone who worked for a Cragmite. All of this directs to where you could see that he's only interested in one thing now and that's revenge."_

 _Ratchet was silent for a moment, quietly contemplating everyone's positions. It sounded as if Nathaniel said something to Talwyn, for the next thing he knew, his thoughts were again invaded by the psychic who quickly apologized._

 _"Sorry for the intrusion Ratchet, but I need to say a few things to you in here."_

 _"Apology accepted. What is it, then?" Ratchet said before inquiring._

 _"His anger... may be justified. But I'll be honest to you when I say that I'm scared."_

 _The gravity of the way Nate said 'scared' gave pause to Ratchet. Nathan truly believed Terin has taken a turn for the worst. And knowing to a certain extent the depths of Nathaniel's psychic powers, it only gave what the human said an additional weight. Ratchet's thoughts quickly flashed back to Alister and what the old lombax said at the Clock._

 _"Kill you now; save you in the past."_

 _Though many things contributed to the fact which made Ratchet give up searching for the Lombaxes, that one sentence showed just how all-consuming that desire could become if not kept in check. It was one of the reasons why he didn't want to go with Nathaniel the first time around, despite knowing that the psychic offered a way that—without outside interference—would be a simple way to redo everything. Ratchet was afraid that if he began searching for a way to bring back the lombaxes again, things would happen and he would let the desire consume him like it did Alister._

 _"I don't know what made me do it," Nathaniel began, bringing Ratchet back to the forefront of his thoughts. "But when Terin said that he and I should stay, I... I could tell that there was something else going on so I peered into his mind, looking for a motive."_

 _Ratchet replied with nothing, choosing instead to hear the psychic out._

 _"That's when I saw it. Both the black hatred and red anger coursing through his thoughts. His priorities had changed. Bringing his race back was now a far and small distant second compared to how large and massive the drive was to kill Liege."_

 _"Does he even care if we succeed?" asked Ratchet._

 _"Like I said, the want to bring back his race is there, it's just really small. But that's not what I wanted to focus your attention on," answered Nathaniel._

 _"Then what?"_

 _"It's what I said earlier about him being angry that one of friends—a lombax like him—was injured to point of a possible paralysis."_

 _"Then it's just like The Great Clock all over again," Ratchet complained, earning a look from the psychic, who shook his head and said, "It doesn't take a Blarg or a Terachnoid to see that hatred of the Cragmites run very high among lombaxes. It's a belief so profuse that it would inspire automatic response from any and all lombaxes. You may have not grown with them but you experienced something like it. Something that could have changed everything."_

 _The Dimensionator. Ratchet knew the psychic was making a point out of it. And he was right. At the sight of the thriving lombax city, Ratchet almost left it all behind. "So what are you getting at?"_

 _"I believe that Terin may try to stay behind, purposefully boarding the enemies' ship and I_ _ **need**_ _him to go to Tempalo with you and Clank, even though I don't know how to—short of mind control, of course."_

 _"Of course, no mind control," Ratchet commanded, knowing all about the 'little stunt' Nathaniel pulled yesterday. "And speaking of Clank, is he back at the Genesis with Terin right now?"_

 _"Yeah. He's helping Terin fix Zenith."_

 _Ratchet let that roll around his thoughts for a moment before thinking out to the psychic. "You may have a point Nathaniel, but I'm sure Clank will get him to see some reason. Believe me, if anyone can do it, it's Clank."_

 _Nathaniel wanted to buy it._ _He_ _w_ _anted to believe that Clank could simply talk Terin out of it_ _but, the psychic knew he_ _knew_ _better_ _. Still, he and Talwyn_ _did_ _leave Clank alone with Terin seeing as how Talwyn said something along those lines before they_ _had_ _left the Genesis._

 _"Let's put that aside then and let me ask you this: did you try to see what happened in his vision?" Ratchet asked, a little bit apprehensive._

 _"This may come as a shock to you, Ratchet, but I couldn't," Nathan answered, full of dismay. "All I know is that Clank and Terin both are aware of some presence—by sensing and seeing, respectively—that know of our activities and that it seems to be outside of our established enemies."_

 _Ratchet shook his head, mumbling, "Was this all worth it then?" Ratchet could feel the confusion emanating from the psychic. "Permission to know why?" Nathaniel inquired._

 _"Mmhmm."_

 _Even though they were in the realm of Ratchet's mind, the lombax still felt that he nodded to the psychic's inquiry. The lombax soon felt a movement deeper in his own mind and he assumed that Nathan was delicately poking around Ratchet's consciousness. What Nathan said sometime later surprised him._

 _"I wouldn't fault you for going back now. Neither Clank nor Talwyn."_

 _"No, no, it's not that I don't want to help—"_

 _"—it's just that Terin and I got you back into something you chose to leave behind." There was an almost hostile edge to Nathaniel's tone, as if he was sick of arguing._

 _"Yet, you said it yourself Nate," Ratchet began, taking on an aggressive attitude. "That you found me there at the museum with Clank wondering if I had_ _ **truly**_ _made the right move even after all these years of having said no. Nathan, ignore my spinal injury for now! The guilt is getting the best of you as anger has gotten to Terin!"_

 _The psychic's presence in Ratchet's mind shrunk in size as the lombax could only sense him at the very front._

 _"Nate," Ratchet said, taking a moment to calm down before starting up again. "You came in as a stranger and offered me a final chance. One that sounded too good to be true. One that brought back too many bad memories. Still you tried to convince me otherwise. I don't know what made you think of asking us, of asking me, but I'll be honest when I say this: I'm happy to have come along for the ride, even if that ride has had sudden stops."_

 _Silence filled the expanse of the lombax's mind after Ratchet finished speaking. Feeling out his own head, Ratchet tried calling out for the psychic but to no avail._

 _"No adventure is a simple one way road without bumps and you of all people should know that," Ratchet said. "Just look at me and Clank. Fifteen years ago, I almost destroyed our friendship because I let guilt and revenge get the best of me. Clank—the ever_ _patient_ _warbot that he was—persisted, pleaded at times to show me the right way. But like a fool I ignored him until it was almost too late. Nathan, you came for me when I didn't know what to do. And for that I thank you."_

 _Vibrations started resounding in Ratchet's thoughts as a familiar presence made itself known._

 _"You really mean it?" Nathaniel asked. Ratchet again—despite being in the realm of his own mind—felt as if he still nodded to the psychic._

 _"Now what do you say, Nate?" Ratchet questioned, wondering how well the psychic took to his words._

 _"What do you want me to say?" Nathaniel asked with dubiety._

 _With kind authority, Ratchet replied, "'I understand'... that would work."_

 _Nathaniel answered that with a small laugh. However, a real delight was contained within that short action of joy. "Alright, Ratchet. I understand."_

* * *

Ratchet snapped out of his thinking, yet a pensive mood lingered within him. He turned to face Talwyn who looked to be halfway between sleeping and resting, her eyes closed but a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Ratchet smiled and gently squeezed her hand as she had done to him earlier. Her smile grew slightly as she said, "Yes, Ratchet?" The lombax noted that there was a certain cheekiness hidden within her question.

"About later today," Ratchet began, shrugging his shoulders as he looked for the words to say. "I'm probably the last person in the galaxy to say this to you... to anyone for that matter but, just be careful. I don't want to lose you."

Talwyn turned to face the lombax. "Thanks Ratchet," she said, pressing her lips against the lombax's, greatly surprising Ratchet. After a few seconds, Talwyn pulled away, leaving a hand on Ratchet's cheek, stroking it gently. "That's very sweet of you."

A repetitive knocking against glass interrupted them as they both—alarmed—turned to face Nathaniel who stood floating outside the ship's cockpit, glaring at them with the engine box floating beside him. Rolling her eyes, Talwyn pressed a button, popping the hatch, allowing Nathaniel to talk to them.

"I know I didn't say anything about kissing, but that doesn't matter," Nathaniel said, gesturing to the box. "As you can see, the back won't hold me and this box, so I'll just fly this straight to the Genesis and I'll meet you there."

"Copy that Nathaniel," Ratchet responded, showing a thumbs up. Nathan returned one and followed as Talwyn closed the hatch and flew the ship toward another parking dock which would take them below Platform 4 toward the exit. Once they were lowered outside, Nathaniel immediately took off, leaving Ratchet and Talwyn trailing behind a rapidly fast dissipating stream of psionic energy.

 _ **R &C**_

"It seems that Nathaniel is coming in," Clank announced, drawing Terin's gaze to the landing's bay entrance. As if on cue, the psychic flew in and landed next to them, a large box slowly descending next to him.

"Finally," Terin muttered, stepping up to the box. Nathaniel stepped in, forcing the lombax to back up a step. They stood short of a cubit apart from each other, forcing Terin to look up at the psychic.

Annoyance flashed quickly across Terin's features before it was replaced by a more amiable facade. "Nathaniel, could you please help me fix Zenith?" Obviously, the facade was only skin-deep. Terin was still seething since the argument. Never taking his gaze off the lombax, Nathaniel called to Clank, asking him how far behind were Talwyn and Ratchet.

"By my calculations, they will be arriving shortly," Clank supplied, drawing a verbal 'thanks' from the psychic.

"That cragmite scum deserves to die," Terin said, gritting his teeth in restraint.

"Yes, just like Tachyon, they both deserve to die, for everything they've done," Nathaniel began, waving a hand to Zenith, his voice steadily rising. "But we can't let either guilt or anger get the best of us. If we're going to beat Liege, we need a clear head!"

Terin didn't want to hear it. He made a move to shove Nathan aside but the psychic simply vanished, leaving the lombax to push through nothing. Nathaniel reappeared behind Terin and wrapped his arms around Terin's chest, constricting the lombax. A shimmer of purple traced the human's outline as he used his psychic power to fortify his strength and durability as Terin squirmed and thrashed about, trying his best to hurt his friend enough to let go.

 _SCREECH!_

Clank opened his mouth to speak before a loud static-like noise went off, making only Clank cover his ears as the voice of Captain Grayman's filled the landing bay. What once was soft-spoken was now replaced by authority only achieved by years of developed experience.

"Nathan! Let go of Terin, now!"

The psychic complied, removing his arms from around Terin. However, the psychic never ceased his aura. He looked up toward the speaker above him and with a cold, purple stare, asked with some irritability, "What is it?"

"In case you don't know, you only have about two and a half hours left. If I were you, I would just deal with grumpy Terin and fix Zenith. The faster that three of your company leaves, the more of a head start you'll have on your enemies."

The psychic thought that through for a brief moment before finally agreeing with the allonian captain. He sliced open the box with a thin beam of psionic power. Then using telekinesis to pull the engine out, he set it on the table. As Terin went to look it over, Clank walked up to Nathaniel and placed a hand on his leg. Nathaniel looked down at the Zoni and whispered, "Yeah, Clank. What is it?"

"I do not want to sound doubtful but, how is Ratchet doing?" Clank inquired, trying his best to not let the anxiety he felt be found in his words. Nathaniel squatted down next to him and nodded his head in affirmation. "He's doing fine, Clank."

A familiar rumble of an engine caught their attention as it seemed to grow louder. Standing back up, Nathaniel followed Clank as they watched Talwyn's ship pull into the landing bay. The rumbling noise ceased as the hatch popped up, revealing two very familiar, very friendly faces. A burst of welcoming enthusiasm gripped both the psychic and the robot as they walked over to greet their friends and allies. Terin huffed, crossing his arms as he watched the reunion with mild discontent.

"Hello, Miss Apogee. Hello, Ratchet," Clank said, waving as he watched Nathaniel use telekinesis to help Ratchet out of the shotgun seat and to stand on the floor. "Hey pal," Ratchet greeted in response, putting a hand up on the side of the ship, wincing from the movement. Talwyn climbed out of the cockpit, the ship's hatch closing behind her. She walked up next to Nathan and watched as the psychic helped Clank climb on the hood of her ship. They watched in silence as the two galactic heroes finished their greeting with a hug.

A static noise from above went off and the voice of Captain Quincy filtered through. "Well, if it isn't Ratchet," he acknowledged. "Welcome back to the Genesis."

Ratchet pulled away from the Zoni and looked up at the ceiling, looking for some sort of security camera, but could find none. So he casually raised a hand in greeting and thanked the captain, hoping that it worked both ways.

"You're welcome." Then the speakers turned off, leaving the five Travelers alone in an empty landing bay. Nodding to the other lombax, Ratchet called out, "Hey Terin." Terin nodded back yet refrained from moving a centicubit. Turning to face Clank again, Ratchet asked, "How's it going, bud?"

Clank moved to sit down, now matching more closely the lombax's height before replying that he was fine and that they would soon be ready to go.

"That's good," Ratchet said. "Don't take this the wrong way but I'm ready to get going again."

Exchanging side glances, Talwyn and Nathaniel gave their partings of the galactic duo and walked away, meeting Terin who watched the two approach him.

"So, finally ready to finish this once and for all," Terin demanded, lowering his arms, hands clenched at his sides.

"Yes Terin, we're ready," Nathan answered, confident against Terin's attitude. The lombax reached behind, feeling around for a moment before grabbing something and tossing it toward the psychic who caught it with ease. He did the same for Talwyn. Both the human and markazian shared another side-long glance before looking down at what was thrown to them. A drill and Phillips, respectively.

Terin cleared his throat, making Talwyn and Nathan look up to see the lombax smiling slyly. "Let's get to work."

 _ **R &C**_

With Ratchet standing over the installation and testing of the new engine, fixing Zenith proved to be easier than originally thought. With only an hour remaining and everything fixed, picked up and put away, the five travelers were currently in the bridge saying their last goodbyes to Captain Grayman.

"And yes Captain, I won't forget my promise," Nathaniel repeated, letting the tiniest bit of a chuckle slip through.

"If you keep it, that'll be more than payment enough for everything," Quincy replied, wringing his hands behind his back.

"Then I guess this is truly it," Ratchet said, offering a handshake to the captain.

Grayman took the lombax's outstretched hand and shook it, the force making Ratchet tense up from the sudden pain. "Ooh, sorry Ratchet."

"It's... okay," mumbled said lombax. "It'll take sometime getting used to though."

"I'm just glad to finally see you up again."

"Maybe when this is all over, we could meet under different circumstances, perhaps even work together again," Talwyn offered, earning a 'perhaps' from the captain.

"I count twenty—"

"Captain!" Someone shouted, grabbing everyone's firm attention.

"What?!" Quincy barked.

The person who called the captain turned around in his seat, saying that they have an urgent message coming in from Platform 6.

"Patch it through," Captain Grayman commanded, turning to face the screen terminal. No picture flashed upon the screen. Instead, a line of wavelength showed up, fluctuating accordingly to the tone of the panicking allonian on the other end.

"To all captains patrolling above Alnek, we are experiencing failures across the board for the Planetary Defense Center. Shielding is down and power is rapidly—"

Static temporarily cut off the speaker and the Travelers shared uneasy looks of worry between themselves.

"—communications are failing—"

An ear-popping crackle of electricity went off on the other end. Followed by several smaller, cascading explosions. Finally, the terminal blinked off.

Silence dominated the room until the screen again blinked to life, this time with the faces of the captains on the other defense force carriers and frigates.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Captain Quincy asked, speaking for everyone. "What just happened?"

 _ **R &C**_

"You, my good sir, are a prodigy," a deep bass praised, earning the good-mannered chortle of another person in the room.

"I said that at 'your command, they would be utterly disarrayed'," the other one countered, placing a glass of wine on the table in front of him.

"Very funny, Dornavan," the first one said, taking a sip of his own glass. Setting it down, Balloch heaved himself up from out of his chair and walked toward the window, the only view being the fast-moving light particles as they journeyed at light-speed on their way to Raynarn.

"You said that you have one more surprise prepared?" Balloch inquired, looking back toward the heavily plate-armored mage that was Dornavan. From underneath his ruby mask, the mage smiled and nodded in affirmation.

"Now?" Dornavan asked, rather amused.

Balloch gestured to the window, his striking yellow eyes conveying his wishes. "Do your worst."

 _ **R &C**_

"Could Darten have been wrong about their time of arrival?" Clank asked as Ratchet was set inside Aphelion courtesy of Nathaniel.

"Must have been so, Clank," Nathaniel answered, shaking his head with displeasure. "But if they're here, then that means we've run out of time and you need to go now."

"Don't worry," Aphelion peeped, "the coordinates to Tempalo are set. I'll get them both there."

"Thanks, Aphelion," Nathaniel said. Turning to Terin, he gestured to Zenith and told him that he better get going.

"Sure thing," Terin replied bitterly, walking to his ship. "Ready to go, Zenith?"

"It's been too long," Zenith said in his usual rough demeanor. The lombax shipped opened up, allowing Terin to climb in.

" _And remember,_ " Nathaniel reminded Terin, completely serious as purple colored his irises. " _Your objective is to watch out for Ratchet and Clank. Make it your first priority to reach Tempalo and planet Jenavi._ "

Here the psychic watched as Zenith sealed himself shut, hovering up into the air, turning toward the direction to leave the landing bay.

" _I'm counting on you,_ " Nathaniel transmitted finally, cutting off telepathic connection with the lombax as Zenith blasted out into space.

* * *

Back at the bridge, it seemed that no one could get into connection with Platform 6... or any of the other ones for that matter. Nathaniel rushed in through the doors, stopping next to Talwyn.

'Have they gone?" she questioned, whispering to the psychic.

"They have. Ready to roll?" Nathaniel asked, whispering as well. Purple electricity arced between his fingers as the psychic watched the futile attempts of the Defense Force fleet to get in touch with planet Alnek. Speaking up, Nathaniel asked the officers if he could establish telepathic contact to anyone on the planet. Captain Walreck beat everyone to it and spoke first. "We've no better options, psychic."

Nathan gave a quick salute, then relaxed, a brilliant shade of purple filled in his eyes as he directed his consciousness to Alnek, reading the minds of the first people he found on the planet—or rather, above it. He quickly perceived the danger as waves of panic and fear crashed against him, forcing him to break off contact. But he noticed one thing amidst the brief encounter with the chaos he'd felt. People… were floating… in mid-air. He placed his fingers on his temples and rubbed them, breathing heavily from the sudden shock of it all.

Placing a hand on Nathaniel's shoulder, Talwyn demanded to know what happened. And just about every officer on the Genesis' main terminal demanded as well.

"The Platforms," Nathaniel said weakly to everyone present, "are going down."

* * *

 **AN: (3-20-18) Edited.**


	23. In Defense Of Raynarn Pt I

"IMPOSSIBLE!"

Captain Walreck didn't bother keeping his cool. By the time he heard the Platforms were going down, immediately he launched into a tirade against Grayman about not calling in the President. Plus, the endangerment of millions didn't go by without an especially heated mention.

"We don't have the time nor the energy to argue about this!" Captain Grayman shouted, cutting Walreck off. "I'll admit that I was wrong; so call the President if you will."

Walreck didn't bother replying. Signing off spoke more than words ever would. Taking in the expressions of the other officers reminded him of the task at hand.

"I can admit that I was wrong… perhaps gravely wrong," Grayman began, gripping the railing. "But maybe, some of you should call alongside Walreck, try to boost the urgency level of the call. The rest of you, get ready for battle."

A low and out of way signal to the crew on the bridge cut Grayman off from the circle of officers. He then turned and told a trooper to 'make the call', alerting every pilot circling the ship to get into formation. With that done, Quincy turned to Nathaniel and Talwyn and spoke to them both. "Well, what's the plan?"

"First things first," Nathaniel said. "We have to deal with the Platforms. They're six of them right?"

Captain Grayman nodded affirmatively. "That's correct. But what do you plan on doing?"

Nathaniel turned and darted away, not even bothered to give a response. Quincy called out to the psychic but Talwyn stopped him. "It's better if we do what we need to do," she said. "I don't know what Nate has planned, but at this point I trust him."

Quincy looked toward the door before facing Talwyn, his face betraying skepticism. "You're right," he said after taking a short breath. "Fire your ship up Captain, you're going in."

* * *

Upon entering the landing bay, Nathaniel fired up his psychic aura and gunned out of the Genesis, carving a blazing trail of purple light toward Alnek. Purple blended with a fiery red as the psychic kicked it up a notch upon reaching the atmosphere, darting through the several layers to get to where Platform 1 should be. He arrived and his jaw dropped in horror at the sight. Platform 1 had already come into contact with the mountains below it, crushing its side and kicking up massive amounts of snow as it awkwardly slid down the slope. Without thinking, the psychic threw his hands out forward and cast an extreme amount of telekinetic power on the giant behemoth of a structure.

A purple outline appeared on the platform's glass dome and with a great, forced effort, the psychic slowed down the sliding Platform to a stop, unable to save the top level of forest which he once walked through. Straining from the headache he was getting from surrounding Platform 1 with his mental power, Nathaniel raised his arms up, slowly levitating the platform back into the air. Using telepathy, he scanned the minds inside the glass bowl. Mentally, the psychic tensed, ready for waves of confusion and terror to crash upon him. But instead he found silence and devastation.

" _ **Remember the lombax's words Nathan,**_ " someone began. " _ **I still sense conscious thoughts inside.**_ "

" _Leviathan,_ " Nathaniel thought in surprise. Shaking his head, the psychic thought back to the entity inside his mind with frustration as he hastily worked to save those inside.

" _ **You're running out of time,**_ " Leviathan spoke. " _ **T**_ _ **here are five other Platforms that could use your**_ _ **assistance.**_ "

" _Five other Platforms don't have a mountain underneath their bottoms!_ " Nathaniel retorted, giving himself a thin smile of joy when he secured the safety of the lives inside. However, what was done was done. The stillness still clawed at the psychic's conscious as Nathaniel expanded his telepathy to the other Platforms. His headache vastly multiplied in strength from the effort. Lingering on the loss did not also help the psychic's mood, knowing that thousands lie dead beneath the debris of the collapsed city. Perhaps tens of thousands.

Leviathan mumbled something that Nathaniel couldn't truly decipher. Not that he truly cared. The situation on the other Platforms was accelerating from just mere minutes earlier when Nathaniel first tried reaching out. He let out a cry and called forth for more power, his aura glowing more and more luminescent as he delved inside his mind, calling out his full Psiwalk power. The exertion he had put himself through suddenly vanished, leaving him refreshed and invigorated with newfound energy. His headache departed as quickly as it came, the strain of levitating an entire platformed city felt like a gentle throb in comparison to what it had been just moments earlier.

Nathaniel vanished from sight, quickly appearing high over the eastern bluffs of the lonely continent. Having judged quickly each Platform's approximate location, the psychic surmised that where he stood was the best place to be in order to exert the least amount of psychic energy and still be able to save all six platforms from their collision course with Alnek. That being if he was able too.

" _ **You're going to do it?**_ " Leviathan started from the blue, his loud, aloof self replaced by an observant tone.

" _I have to._ " By now, the telepathic outreach Nathaniel had put himself through started to weigh down his mind. Faint, bluish-purple vein lines pushed outward near the top of the psychic's hairline. His aura radiated brilliantly, purple electricity snapped and crackled about his body.

" _ **You don't sound so sure of yourself,**_ " Leviathan said, resuming his old dominating tones.

...

...

...

" _ **Nathaniel,**_ " the entity continued, seeing as how the psychic was not responding. " _ **You know as well as I that you can't do it. Psiwalk made one platform easy and already the strain of expanding your mind across the globe is becoming a burden. Ultimate will make three or four easy. And you can go no further.**_ "

" _Give me a reason why I can't,_ " Nathaniel demanded, trying to construct a base under each of the other platforms, cradling their descent. However, gravity exerted too strong a force for the psychic to counteract, thus shattering the mental constructs and disorienting the psychic.

" _ **There's your reason.**_ "

Shapes spouted from the rim of the headband Nathaniel wore as it transformed into a crown, signifying the transformation that the psychic underwent. His psychic aura completely covered him in purple light, outshining all other sources around him. A roar emanated from the depths of Nathaniel's conscious as the psychic brought forth everything out in the Ultimate Psiwalk transformation. The tips of his bangs were highlighted in dark purple, irises taking on the same deep hue. Crossing his arms together in an X, Nathaniel hunched inward, pulling in the radiance about him. Once gathered, the psychic stalled, letting the power threaten to explode while held in his embrace.

" _Watch me prove you wrong,_ " Nathaniel thought at last, before opening himself outward, unleashing a piercing scream as streaks of psychic energy burst forth, snaking their way toward the other five platforms, stopping them from falling further.

" _See._ "

* * *

"Sir," a crew member called back, still facing his console. "We're detecting massive energy spikes coming from sector eight."

Captain Grayman walked up from behind, placing a hand on the chair and looked over the other's shoulder, reading the screen intently.

" _He_ … _can't be,_ " Quincy thought, not trusting himself to speak. He stared at the screen for a few more moments before turning away.

"Get me a feed with Captain Apogee," Quincy commanded as he returned to his lookout. "Secure channel baugh-third minor." Captain Grayman typed in a command. This opened a hatch allowing a small screen to elevate out and unfold. Flicking switches further activated the screen which lit up with a blank screen. Soon, Captain Walreck appeared on-screen. His face was currently turned away from Grayman, tight and hard-set. He didn't bother to acknowledge in anyway that he was contacted.

"Captain Walreck, I have an idea," Quincy said. Captain Grayman then called out to the crew below and ordered them to contact the personnel in the engine room and tell them to go full speed ahead.

"I hope that rushing in isn't the plan," Walreck said flatly. "That would be a fool's errand."

"Not exactly," Grayman countered confidently, "we're both going in."

Captain Walreck froze. After a few moments, he slowly turned his head to face Captain Grayman. "You can't be serious."

"You wish I were."

"Yes Quincy, what's the situation?" Talwyn spoke up, her voice buzzing in Grayman's right ear.

"One moment Walreck," the Genesis' captain spoke hastily. "Where are you now Captain Apogee?"

"I'm hanging near the front of the fleet, what is it?" Talwyn questioned.

"I have Captain Walreck on another line. I need you to signal the nearest commanding officer and get them to contact me immediately."

"...I can do that." Talwyn acknowledged. "Do you know what's going on with Nathaniel?"

"Truthfully, more than I can believe," Grayman replied, raising a hand to his head, crunching the hat which rested on top.

"What's he doing?"

"Single-handedly holding up the Platforms."

Silence followed his words. "That's amazing," she breathed.

"Couldn't agree with you more," Grayman replied. "However, if possible, I need to know who's nearest to your position and if possible, get them to contact me, okay?"

"Got it," Talwyn answered, signing off.

"Now, what's this I heard about a suicide charge?" Walreck asked, drawing Quincy's attention. The Genesis' captain smiled seeing Walreck's irritated expression.

"Not. Even. Remotely. Funny," Walreck said coldly.

"You should be thrilled, Emery. After all, this was your idea."

Pause.

Captain Walreck looked away, facing his own ship's monitor. Without looking away, Emery spoke quietly, resignation accompanying his next statement. "They're on radar. Go ahead Quincy. I'll follow your lead." He signed off, the small screen folded back up and returned underneath the console.

Hands curled into fists as the Genesis barged ahead, soon being flanked from port side by Captain Walreck's ship: Lifeline.

" _Let the battle begin._ "

* * *

The ground beneath the psychic quaked, breaking and sundering as Nathaniel was forced to land, his power slowly failing him as he struggled to remain standing.

" _ **You have no choice in this matter! To save them all I need to rule!**_ "

" _NO!_ "

Leviathan remained silent as more ground cracked upward and was blown apart. Nathaniel began descending slowly into Alnek as the crater he made grew larger. The Platforms above—no longer held aloft—fell like a leaf, the psychic's telekinetic grip slowly but surely losing them to gravity's relentless pull.

" _ **Alnek will bleed because of you!**_ "

Nathaniel fell down on his hands and knees. Purple electricity pulsed through the dirt beneath him. His mind wracked from the strain. Blood trickled down his nose and ran to his chin where it fell.

Ran and fell.

Ran and fell.

The psychic ground up earth between his fingers as he clenched his hands into fist, desperately trying to push himself harder, desperately trying to transcend.

" _I can do this… NOW GET OUT OF MY HEAD!_ "

" _ **Should I state the obvious reason why I can't?**_ "

" _JUST SHUT UP!_ "

An explosion erupted from Nathaniel, rendering his surroundings to dust before he collapsed, his psychic powers spent. His aura faded away; his hair fell back down, purple bangs receding to their original dark brown. As he lay there, exhausted, face to face with the ground, tears began to fall freely from his eyes.

" _ **I do not wish your failure,**_ " Leviathan said after a thoughtful pause. " _ **B**_ _ **ut I know your human mind well. To go**_ _ **Transcendent**_ _ **Psiwalk was an impossible feat. However, we still have seconds.**_ _ **L**_ _ **et me rule and I can save them.**_ "

" _I_ … _I can't._ "

" _ **You have too.**_ "

The psychic thought nothing in return. Guilt had already seeped in and taken hold. Leviathan tried a different approach. " _ **It'll be thousands now… or millions later.**_ "

Seeing that he was defeated with nothing else left, Nathaniel mumbled feebly within his conscious. " _Then save me from the burden of remembering._ "

" _ **As you wish.**_ "

Immediately, the psychic's eyes opened, revealing a dark purple. Slowly, a mist faded in around Nathaniel and he rose. No longer in control of himself was the human, but instead the entity known as Leviathan. The crown of Ultimate Psiwalk once again returned and Leviathan threw his head back and roared. The mist burst forth into a blinding aura, the deafening crackle of darting electricity sounded as it crescendoed into a monstrous clamor.

Psychic energy soon formed spheres in Leviathan's palms as he brought forth the Transcendent Psiwalk's signature: vein-deep, wide purple lines that run across the user's body—starting from the sides of the head and down to the soles of user's feet. Leviathan threw up his hands together and the spheres of psychic power doubled in size as they combined. With a final, loud bellow, the sphere unleashed streams of psychic power, instantly reaching the platforms, stopping them completely.

A quick telekinetic sweep gave Leviathan the information he needed. He was in time. Mostly so. Platform 1 suffered the worst. The city lie in ruins. Not even one survivor could tell the tale. They were all gone.

The other platforms fared considerably better than its relative. There would be, after all, tales told of this day. Leviathan turned and looked up to the sky. The sun was setting where he was at and from there he could make out physically the intensive firefight that was taking place far above Alnek's atmosphere. Mentally, however, Leviathan could pick out his allies from his enemies. His companions were horribly outnumbered, but he quickly identified Captain Grayman, Walreck and Milana leading an offensive toward their fortified front while the rest of the Defense Force picked a side and attacked in pincer maneuver. Risky? Yes. Smart? Well, Leviathan didn't think so.

" _ **Their ships aren't nearly as large, or pack quite as much firepower, but they have speed. They'll hold out. After I'm done here, it will be time to tip the odds in our favor.**_ "

 _ **R &C**_

"Leviathan has taken over, just as I thought," Dornavan said, sounding somewhat good-natured about it. Balloch nodded from inside the Aeon Remover. The large, bulky suit somehow made the already ripped Fell-Enk bigger than he was. "So now that Leviathan has taken control of the psychic, most of the restraint and foresight has left him for an almost incomprehensible power increase," his voice boomed from inside the airtight helmet. "How does this help us? He could easily decimate our armada in mere breaths."

Dornavan tsked as he placed his blank mask on, light shimmering off the polished ruby. Afterward, the mage threw up his bright red hood over, shrouding his long, pistachio, reed-like hair.

"It's exactly why I have this." He pointed to his head where both of them knew of the hiding Psych-Band. This would allow Dornavan to compete with Leviathan. Though he would have to be quick. The band didn't last forever and neither did Dornavan. And from the years he spent among the Supernatural Ring, his research indicated that the Leviathan was a seemingly endless being whose full power had yet to be uncovered by either Zalirus Tanstar and Quinlin Kard.

However, thanks to Zalirus' betrayal, Dornavan had the ability to combat the Leviathan. If this worked, Nathaniel would be captured and be put aside while Talwyn will either board their fleet and be captured, or killed in flight. Whatever her end, it wouldn't slow them down one bit. Facing the bridge's large glass panels, Dornavan stood witnessing first-hand the chaos that was open before him. Despite himself, watching the battle helped focused his mind for the task ahead. Every mistake he made would only prove deadly. This must be executed quickly and to perfection. He wouldn't get a second chance.

" _Thank you Code,_ " Dornavan thought, who—despite what others may believe—he genuinely felt grateful to for the save earlier in the 'Contaminated Zone'. Whatever that was. Maybe when this was over he could…

Balloch cleared his throat, looking quite displeased once he got the mage's attention.

"Thinking time is over. We have work to do," he commanded sternly.

"Indeed," Dornavan replied, vanishing in pillar of light.

 _ **R &C**_

Leviathan took a deep breath and looked over the Platforms. Once they had stopped falling, Leviathan gathered them together and set them down, resting their base on the flat expanse. Leviathan nodded and turned around to dart toward space when he came face to face with a pillar of light. Confused, Leviathan watched as a figure, donned in bright ruby red plate armor, complete with a matching faceless mask and light cloak stepped out. However, it was the shape of the mask that gave it away. Curved on the sides and coming to a sharp point both top and bottom, Leviathan recognized the race beneath the impressive get-up.

" _ **Ribunis.**_ _ **J**_ _ **ust like Zalirus,**_ " Leviathan said aloud, his voice seeming to echo from everywhere.

"Correct," Dornavan said, soundly oddly pleased. Fireballs soon formed in the mage's hands as they both stood there, staring each other down. Leviathan's sight lowered momentarily to acknowledge the gesture but otherwise made no move to retaliate.

" _ **What,**_ " Leviathan spoke, pretending to be hurt, " _ **do you want me to make the first move?**_ "

Dornavan remained impassive, fireballs still conjured in his palms.

" _ **Alright,**_ " Leviathan said, vanishing. " _ **MOVE THIS!**_ "

The psychic entity attempted to drive a heavy right punch right into the kisser. Dornavan easily sidestepped it, taking the open side and throwing both fireballs right into Leviathan's exposed face. The attack made contact with Leviathan, but it wasn't the entity's face that was hit. Instead, it was his vessel's arm, catching the gray sleeve on fire. Leviathan quickly put it out, leaving his vessel's left arm red, purple, and exposed.

" _ **Nice,**_ " Leviathan sarcastically remarked, looking between his vessel's arm and his opponent. Dornavan smiled beneath his mask.

"It seems you'll have to do better than that if you want to defeat me," the mage said assuredly, conjuring up another spell.

" _ **Fools always say that before being crushed beneath my might,**_ " Leviathan replied coldly, glaring at his opponent. He recalled his earlier words: " _ **...magic and the unknown concern me.**_ " He wasn't going to go back on his words now, but it would best if he perished the thought. Leviathan cracked his knuckles, a thick mist beginning to envelop him as the lines on his vessel's skin started glowing. Dornavan threw out his hand, sending a blast of magic toward Leviathan who casually turned aside, letting the blast pass right by him before vanishing from sight. Moments later, Dornavan looked up to see a cannon coming right for him. Instinctively, the mage conjured up a shield. The defense held well enough but was soon cracking beneath the continued torrent.

Dornavan blasted out from beneath, letting Leviathan's attack punch through his shield and into Alnek. The explosion's concussive force shattered the glass surrounding the nearby Platforms, raining down a heavy hail of shards. Not even fazed by what just occurred, Leviathan stretched his consciousness toward the numberless shards and stopped their descent. The next thing the entity knew was that he was being sent speeding through the air, blasting through the ruins of collapsed buildings. Bystanders stood paralyzed as Leviathan threw the debris off of him and looked around.

" _ **Everyone,**_ " he commanded. " _ **G**_ _ **et yourselves out of here now!**_ "

Instantly, Leviathan turned around, catching a flaming fist in his hand, smirking as Dornavan tried to pull away. The entity leaned in threateningly close. Glass fell about them as Leviathan whispered menacingly, " _ **Let's step up our game, shall we?**_ "

 _ **R &C**_

"To all nearby fighters," Talwyn addressed over the nav-feed. "I'm going in. Could use cover support!"

"Yes ma'am," a fighter pilot responded. "There seems to be three of us near your position. Converging now."

A direct hit shook the markazian's ship. She glanced at her shield readings.

" _I can't take many more hits like that,_ " Talwyn thought, a bit worried. Soon, she saw three fighters appear ahead of her.

"Alright, now let's make a run for it," the same pilot said over the feed. Together, they activated their boosters and sped off toward an enemy warship.

"Look alive, we got enemy fighters closing in," Talwyn announced, taking a hard left, laser fire passing through where she once was.

"That was close, captain," someone remarked, taking out an enemy fighter. Talwyn shot a torpedo which nailed another fighter. One of her allies dipped low and banked right before letting loose a riddle of laser fire.

Missed.

"Stay in formation," one of the other pilots said to the dissenter before being nailed by missile, exploding his craft, taking the pilot with it. Talwyn unconsciously gripped her steering tighter as she witness the explosion.

"Pull in and hang tight," she commanded, "we're almost there." The last two complied and fell in line, holding back a little, covering the markazian's flanks. After each of them nailed another enemy, they pulled into the landing bay of one of the warships.

"So what do we have here?" Talwyn asked herself, looking over at shotgun. Before Ratchet, Clank, and Terin left for Tempalo, Talwyn took a few weapons she believed would help her. Reaching underneath the compartment for the fallen Blizzard Mine Glove, she quickly put it on. Looking back up through her canopy glass, she could see troopers closing in on their positions. She dove back down again and picked up the fallen Shredder Claws.

An explosion rang out from outside, followed by brief and occasional gunfire. She looked up to see the other pilots out of their ships and making their way to hers, keeping their eyes and weapons trained on the doors.

"Hey captain, you ready?" One of the pilots asked. Talwyn flipped a switch which opened up her canopy.

"I am," she called out, grabbing the Constructo Shotgun before stepping off her ship. She crouched upon landing and then stood back up, wearing both the Shredder Claws and Blizzard Mine Glove. With the shotgun hanging by her side, Talwyn faced both the other pilots and spoke, "The objective is to get this warship to attack our enemies for us."

"Take cover!" someone shouted, diving away from where the three of them were standing, taking shelter next to his own ship. The other two took cover behind Talwyn's ship while their enemies continued to lay heavy gunfire upon them. Placing the Constructo Shotgun in her other hand, Talwyn activated the Blizzard Mine Glove, gripping the freezing mine in her palm.

"Cover me!" Talwyn commanded, taking a few steps back before sending the mine soaring through the air, landing smack-dab in the center of a cluster of troopers. The mine buzzed to life and honed in on them, exploding and covering them in thick layers of cryogenic ice. As Talwyn ran back to cover, the pilot nearest her congratulated her on the impressive aim before taking brief respite to refill his weapon's ammo clip.

"Thanks, but we're not going to break through like this. One of us has to cause a distraction," Talwyn replied, lobbing another mine toward some nearing troopers.

"Leave that to me," the pilot said, sprinting toward the other pilot. Talwyn watched as they held a short conversation as they layed down fire of their own. But the singing of laser fire drew her attention back to the matter at hand. As she lifted the Constructo Shotgun and emptied a few rounds, holding back their opponents, she was soon joined by that one pilot.

"What did you say?" Talwyn questioned, dropping low before a laser flew clean over her head. The pilot reached his belt for a grenade, activated it, and let it fly. It came into contact with the ceiling, sending cascading plates of steel crashing down.

"Just watch. That was the distraction," the pilot answered, laying down continuous fire. Meanwhile, the other pilot climbed aboard his ship and opened the hatch. Seating himself inside and sealing the canopy shut, the pilot engaged the flying mechanism and soon opened fire. The repeated attacks punched through the landing bay's interior walls, heavily shaking the ship. Seconds later, the pilot stopped and landed again, opening the hatch and jumping out of his ship.

"That was a bit uncalled for. But effective," the markazian acceded, looking at the destructive handiwork. Checking the clip of his weapon and dissatisfied with the ammo left in it, the first pilot proceeded to change it out while filling in Talwyn.

"We were outnumbered and had little to no options left. Plus, this isn't the only warship we're going to target, correct?"

"That's the plan," Talwyn answered. "But let's try to keep ourselves grounded and take it one at a time." Another rumbling shook the warship.

"Must be our bombers making a run," the second pilot supplied, stepping up next to them. "We've got to be able to tell them to ignore this one."

"We won't be able to do that just standing here, come on!" Talwyn commanded as she started running ahead. Both pilots followed suit and kept pace with her. They passed through the wrecked wall and continued through the debris. They surprised the first squads they came across as the enemy troop were assumed to be heading for the landing bay. After being dispatched, the three of them made their way down to the control room.

"Alright, cover me while I hack the mainframe," Talwyn commanded, stepping up to the computer and lowering her shotgun to the side. The others acknowledged that they got the order and stood facing the door, weapons trained and trigger fingers set. More rumbles shook the ship, but they held their ground.

"So, how long should this take, captain?" The first pilot inquired, still facing the door.

"Depends," answered the markazian, typing furiously. "Just hope we're not blown to bits while we're in here."

"Aye-aye."

 _ **R &C**_

Standing out in the vast depths of space, watching as thousands of lights and sounds hurriedly pass by, Balloch stood, aware of it all but seemingly unconcerned with it. Donned in the suit dubbed "Aeon Remover", Balloch reached behind him and grabbed the nozzle attached to the heavy pack. Once in hand, he gave the nozzle to his other hand and used the first one to activate the suit's weapon. Steady humming followed as Balloch grabbed the hose with both hands and took stance—separating his feet and bending down slightly at the knee.

The humming continued to rise as light blue liquid flew through the hose and into a stopper inside the nozzle. Looking down, Balloch watched as the blue liquid became brighter as more of the liquid flowed down to the nozzle, mixing with the quantum energy causing it to bulge outward. Content, Balloch returned his yellow gaze toward his target: the Defense Force ship that stood turned away, exposing the broad armored starboard. In particular, the ship belonged to Captain Quincy Grayman. And today would be the allonian's last among the living… and anyone else who was unlucky enough to share that ship with him.

Balloch felt his mouth twitch, trying to curl itself into a malevolent smirk. In it was the knowledge that within moments, patience would pay off and your enemies would be defeated before you. In it was victory. And he reveled in it.

The mighty Fell-Enk commander pushed a lever upward along the bottom of the nozzle, the quantum-liquid mixture following the length of the nozzle where it stopped at the tip to build up pressure. Placing a finger on the triggered, Balloch watched and waited. At that moment, time seemed to crawl to him… though that may just be an effect of wearing a pressurized time suit for so long. Leveling the hose forward, Balloch glanced at the tip of the nozzle.

" _Ready._ "

The commander pulled back the trigger and the blue stream discharged from the nozzle tip, barreling its way toward the Defense Force ship before him.

 _ **R &C**_

"Alright, the bridge is secure," Talwyn announced as she and the two allonian pilots stepped over the bodies of their enemies. After hacking into the mainframe and gaining control of the ship's automatic weaponry, Talwyn reprogrammed them to target Balloch's fleet. Afterward the three companions made their way toward the bridge to inform their allies. But they didn't even make it out of the control room before coming into contact with troopers defending the entrance. It was easily the hardest part of their infiltration thus far and the burn mark that currently made her shoulder cry out in pain was just one proof. She'd admit that, for the most part, the three of them have been lucky, extremely lucky some would say. But if she was being honest, they were going to need a whole lot of luck to take the day. And she'd start with the one in front of her.

She was still thinking when one of the pilots nudged her and told her to look.

"What?" She asked, following where the finger was pointing. In the distance, she saw a thin blue stream. Of what she couldn't tell, but for it to be visible from this distance meant that whatever it was it was bright… and most likely dangerous.

"Contact any Defense Force officer and see if they can confirm what that is," Talwyn ordered.

"I don't think that'll be necessary, captain," one of the pilots said, his statement edged with dread.

"What do you—" Talwyn gasped at the sight, covering her mouth in shock. The blue stream was slowly dissipating a Defense Force ship. By now, half the ship was completely gone and the blue stream was still going strong. Together, the three of them stood motionless as they watched the incomprehensible happen. It wasn't until that the whole ship disappear and the blue stream ceased that they could begin to process what just transpired.

"Whose ship was that?!" One of the pilots demanded.

Talwyn didn't want to believe it, but the reality was staring her square in the face.

The entire ship. Grayman. They were all gone. Vanished from existence… as if they were never there at all.

Talwyn shuddered violently.

 _ **R &C**_

Meanwhile, far from the battle, two lombax ships were traveling through hyperspace, making their way toward the elusive galaxy known as Tempalo. What awaited them on the other side, Ratchet, Clank, and Terin were unsure. But whatever it was, together they would succeed.

It was here that Clank broke the silence. "I am afraid something terrible has happened."

Ratchet glanced over at his robot friend, confused. "What now, Clank? What's wrong?"

"It is the Allonian Defense Force. Our enemies have a weapon… Ratchet, I may be a Zoni but I am not so attuned to time fluctuations as my father or other members of my kind. And yet, I felt time cringe. Captain Grayman. His entire ship. His entire crew. They are now lost to time.

Ratchet couldn't believe it. He moved a hand toward Aphelion's console, tensing as the pain shot through his arm. Clank stopped him.

"Ratchet," the small Zoni began, looking at his pal with a sincere expression of sadness. "It is no use. They are gone."

"All the more reason then to get Travel The Days then," Terin interrupted, sounding none too enthusiastic about the conversation's somber direction.

"I couldn't agree more Terin," Ratchet replied, determination animating his words.

"Aphelion's radar says we should soon be exiting hyperspace," Clank supplied, earning verbal confirmation by both Terin and Zenith.

"Once we exit hyperspace, it'll be a few hours before we reach planet Jenavi," Aphelion added.

Ratchet gripped the wheel a bit tighter, becoming tense as the five of them made their way toward the unknown that lay before them. Now, their mission had taken a new level of urgency. Clank never gave Ratchet reason to not believe him. But that meant truly Captain Grayman was gone. He had shown kindness where he didn't have to. He went above and beyond the call of assistance to help Ratchet find the best surgeon for his injury, for handing over his home to strangers while they anxiously waited to hear again from their best friend. In the short time they've known him, Quincy proved himself a good man and a great friend.

And now, thanks to the Fell-Enk and unknown mage, he has vanished from existence. Ratchet took a deep breath, trying to gain control of himself. He would not let emotions cloud his judgment. Not today. Today, the allonians needed him. Today, the universe needed him. And lastly, his own people needed him.

With those thoughts on the forefront of his mind, Ratchet watched as Aphelion exited hyperspace and enter into the vast expanse of another starry galaxy.

"Gentlemen," Terin said aloud. "Welcome to Tempalo."

* * *

 **AN: (3-21-18) Edited.**


	24. In Defense Of Raynarn Pt II

"Well," Ratchet began, handing over the Hex-mount to Terin, "hope this serves you well."

Terin took the device from the black-armored lombax and unclasped it. He put an arm through and situated it on his shoulder before he put his other arm through. Finished, Terin clasped it together and felt it out, moving his shoulders around.

"Comfortable?" Ratchet asked.

"It's fine," Terin replied. He turned and walked toward Aphelion where Clank sat looking over the coordinates to planet Jenavi while the two lombaxes had been conversing.

"Hey Clank," Terin greeted, peering over the edge, trying to get a better view of Aphelion's screen.

"Hello Terin. How does the harness fit?" Clank asked, keeping his sight trained on the screen. Terin looked over himself. "It's okay. Just that I've never before worn anything but the clothes and armor on my back."

He reached in and offered a hand to the Zoni. "Want a lift?"

Clank turned and looked at Terin. Once they passed the border between Raynarn and Tempalo, Terin wanted to stop and talk a bit. Both galactic heroes agreed and soon they found a vacant asteroid to land on. After doing so, both lombaxes opened discussion while Clank went back and looked over the information that Sigmund sent them as they left the Great Clock to head toward the Apogee Space Station. According to the notes of the now Senior Caretaker, once the three of them entered Jenavi's atmosphere, they would find the Crolnan in the northeast hemisphere of the planet.

However, the more Clank read, the more he deemed the notes as strange, for the Zoni read that all they were to do was 'land and not worry; they will find you'. It unsettled Clank, but he trusted Sigmund. If these were the people who would help them get to Travel The Days then he would follow the command. He just needed to supply the two lombaxes with that information. However, one of those lombaxes was offering a chance to test out the Hex-mount. Clank nodded to Terin and clasped the outstretched hand with his own.

Terin pulled him out of the canopy and set the Zoni down on the rock. Aphelion sealed herself shut after them. Crouching, Terin turned around and gestured for Clank to climb on. The robot promptly attached himself, soon being carried around as the backpack he was accustomed to when on adventures with Ratchet.

"So," Terin called back as he stood up, "on a bad day, how wild is it when in the thick of things?"

"It can be quite tense," Clank answered. In the silence, Terin smiled beneath his helmet. Clank, however, frowned to the openness of space.

"I have a feeling I am about to be proven wrong," Clank said nervously.

"Hey, don't be like that," Terin offered, "you could be used to it." He turned to the other lombax. "Ratchet."

Said lombax grabbed Terin's Praetorian Omniwrench and—wary of his injuries—casually tossed it toward the other lombax. Terin watched as it glided toward him. He caught it and extended the wrench completely, moving into 'guard stance'. Instantly, Terin crouched low and swiped at the emptiness with his foot, turning a complete one-eighty. He pulled back up and shot forth his wrench arm, deploying the 'Lombax Shield', spinning his wrench around in a nigh-unbreachable circle of metal.

"That move always impressed me," Ratchet said, watching closely as Terin stopped the wrench and grabbed it with both hands before turning one-eighty to throw his wrench up in a horizontal block. "Me too," Terin replied, before spinning a hard right, carving downward at the empty space with his wrench. He followed through the motion, lifting up his back leg as he flipped around, extending it out before coming down hard, bending downward on that knee as it landed against the rock. Letting his left hand take hold of his wrench, Terin threw it forward, then pulled back before standing up again.

"Impressive technique," the younger lombax commented, following the moves of the ex-guard as he practiced some weapon attacks.

"Thanks," Terin said, somewhat short of breath as he wove his wrench around, seemingly disarming an imaginary foe. "I must've spent in total, years, perhaps a decade, working on trying to be as smooth as possible." Terin stopped suddenly, breaking off as he was holding a firm, diagonal cross block. He let his wrench rest by his side as his arms fell beside him.

"You should've been there Ratchet, it was amazing—" Terin said wistfully, letting his words trail off.

Ratchet stood passive as Terin bowed his head. He saw Clank crane his head out and look over at him. The lombax nodded to the Zoni before speaking, his tone a combination of determined and warning, "I'll be there Terin, eventually."

Clank too, spoke from where he rested on the Hex-mount. "It is best to leave those feelings lying where you found them; we cannot take another division among our ranks. I say it is time we head on out to Planet Jenavi and the Crolnan."

Ratchet. "Point there, pal. So, Terin, you want to drive Clank around?"

Terin stalled a moment before turning to look at the other lombax, his face hidden behind the silver-green of his holo-armor. "Sure, so long as Clank is okay with that."

"I do not object to it."

"Then it's settled," Ratchet exclaimed, turning around, gently pushing himself off the rock. Aphelion opened her canopy and Ratchet situated himself in. Terin and Clank did the same with Zenith.

"Anything we need to know Clank before we head out?" Zenith questioned.

"I will brief all of you on the way," the Zoni answered calmly. With that, both Lombax ships darted off through space, blazing their way toward the ones who'll guide their next steps in bringing home the Lombaxes.

 _ **R &C**_

Talwyn pulled into Balloch's command ship with her two allies from before. As the three of them had left their previous target, leaving its automatic weaponry targeting Balloch's fleet, several pilots converged on their position, offering both protection and aid to the company of three. Some pilots either broke off from the group to take some heat off them or were shot down mercilessly. However, with the sudden disappearance of Captain Grayman's ship, a vacuum had been started and several losses on both sides disoriented most everyone involved. Together, Talwyn's group had been straight forward in attacking the source of the blue stream. But upon arriving at the Fell-Enk's ship, they found that the source had taken refuge inside. So they circled back and entered the landing bay alongside other pilots. Together, they exited their ships and began a grueling offensive as enemy troopers came pouring from within the ship.

"Captain," one pilot called over, ducking down as a swarm of laser fire passed over him. "We're being pinned d—aggh!" Laser fire singed bored a hole through his calf, causing him to fall over, crying out in pain. Talwyn spun forward and dispersed several bullets from her Combuster before ducking down, out of the way. From there, she raised a finger to her com-link and spoke hurriedly, "Nathaniel. Nathaniel, come in."

An explosion shook the ship as static filled the line. Peeking over, she noticed the enemy line broken and the fallen bodies which littered the floor. She looked around and noticed pilots and soldiers making their way toward the interior doors. She followed them in, noticing fallen allies among the dead. She lifted her head and hastened her steps, quickly reaching the others.

No one said a word as she approached. She just followed, Combuster in hand, and sight trained forward. They soon came to an intersection and looked about them. No enemies came to greet them. It was making their group tense.

"Anyone have any ideas?" A pilot asked, taking point, methodically aiming his weapon down each hallway. No one replied. The ship shook and rumbled as the sound of distant explosions suddenly became audible. "We're not going to get anywhere if we just stand here," Talwyn said, stepping forward. "Here's the plan, the source of the blue ray is somewhere on this ship, we're to find and destroy it."

"That works for us," someone replied. The others rallied together quite fiercely. Loudly. Each one raising their own agreements. This moved Talwyn to quiet them down.

"Believe me, I can empathize with you. But right now, we have to focus and move on."

This seemed to do the trick and with that, she commanded the group to divide into groups of three. That made two complete groups and one outlier, excluding herself.

"How about we make it two groups of four?" Another pilot asked, looking around at their numbers.

"That could work," Talwyn acceded. Once in formation, Talwyn's group took the hall to the right and the other group—now led by a young allonian Sergeant named Harper—took the hall on the left.

"And remember, keep in touch," commanded the Polaris captain. With proper acknowledgment, the eight were off. As Talwyn's group ran down the hall, the markazian put a finger up to her ear and uttered the psychic's name. Static was again, her only response.

" _What could he be doing?_ "

 _ **R &C**_

Leviathan stood up and shook the dirt off. Above him, Dornavan stood passive, arms crossed in front of his chest.

" _ **How?**_ " The entity thought internally. It drove him livid thinking that this mage could hold his own against him.

" _ **Zalirus, I hope your death was agonizing.**_ "

"Are you ready again?" Called the Ribunis mage. Leviathan looked up at his opponent, an unsettling growl rose in his throat which he emitted quietly. Purple electricity crackled around him.

" _ **Energy attacks have done nothing, high-powered attacks are like wise null against this Dornavan.**_ _ **W**_ _ **hat is he doing?!**_ "

Instantly, Dornavan darted downward and threw a punch at Leviathan. The entity blocked it with ease and casually turned it aside, stepping toward the mage's opening with a blur of motion, throwing a flying jab toward Dornavan's mask. The mage caught it instantly and lifted Leviathan over him, turning himself around as he threw the psychic away. Leviathan righted himself in the air and sped toward Dornavan, imbuing his fists with psychic energy, preparing for another blow. Dornavan blocked the attack but was unable to accommodate for the force behind the punch. He was sent flying away.

Not allowing a second to pass by, Leviathan vanished again, only to appear ahead of the mage, catching him by the cloak as he flew by. Squeezing his grip on the cloth, Leviathan swung Dornavan down like a hammer, the force shattering the fragile ground and making a sizable crater in the ground. From there, spheres of purple energy formed in Leviathan hands before he combined the two into one bigger energy sphere. Lifting it up above his head, Leviathan yelled, sending the energy ball down to Alnek.

Dornavan reoriented himself, craning his head to look at the incoming attack. He didn't have much time, but he had enough to try something. He summoned up a white film which banked around his hands then moved hastily toward his feet. From there, Dornavan dipped his foot into the broken earth and the film dissipated outward, making leylines which snaked, bent, and curved around him. A luminescent white aura enveloped him as the psychic ball crashed down on him. Briefly, he and the leyline shared the same bright purple of the psychic's attack, but soon reverted to their original milky white coloring.

Leviathan, unsure of the mage's motives, and seeing the intensity of the leylines below him unsettled him greatly. He barreled toward Dornavan but only bounced away as he came within mere cubits of the mage. Under the brief moment of the flight, Leviathan was unable to discern what had knocked him away. He sped up to Dornavan again, fist cocked back and ready to fire. As Leviathan got closer, he found himself again flung away, carving out the ground with his being. Finally, he slowed down and again stood up, shaking the dirt off him. Shaking his head furiously, Leviathan thought to himself, " _ **It was a shield. Reflexive. Powerful piece of magical bull.**_ "

Leviathan darted off toward Dornavan again, this time wary of the shield which now enclosed his opponent. A punch, emphasized with psychic energy collided with the barrier, emanating purple ripples before doubling back, sending its own power back into Leviathan, staggering him away. Leviathan looked up. Dornavan was looking at him now, his expression hidden beneath that red, faceless mask. Anger boiled within Leviathan as he watched the mage watching him. Seconds passed before he tore his gaze away and redoubled his effort, sending another powered punch into the barrier. A mighty shockwave rocked the shield down to its base. That attack now decided for Dornavan to break his silence.

"Here," the mage uttered simply, aiming his hand toward the Leviathan. The psychic stood passive, but in his form one could see that he tensed. He needed to see the depths of the foe he was facing. Wisps circled around Dornavan's outstretched hand, slowly closing in like a whirlpool before forming an orb in his hand. Out from it came a magical cannon that passed through the shield with ease before colliding against Leviathan, who had raised his arms in an X-position and was slowly beaten back by that attack. Growling, Leviathan called forth more psychic power from his being, his psychic aura multiplying in both size and brightness. He stopped moving and now began to push against it, making steady efforts even as the mage poured more of his power into it.

" _ **I admit, you've fought well!**_ " Leviathan yelled over the incessant crackle and static of the intensive energy given off. Suddenly, the attack ceased and Leviathan found himself faltering through nothing. He caught himself and looked at the mage, both the shield and leyline were still intact and shone radiantly. But, cooped inside the shield, Dornavan stood unmoving, his outstretched arm now lowered next to his side, his other arms slowly tracing an intricate design in the air. However, the mage was only focused on the psychic before him.

"I had always wondered what it would be like to fight against you," Dornavan said suddenly, briefly surprising the psychic entity.

" _ **Drop your other hand!**_ _ **W**_ _ **hat are you trying to pull?**_ " Leviathan demanded, taking a step forward, his aura diminishing significantly. Dornavan stopped his tracing, but did not lower his hand.

"I'm trying to beat you," Dornavan answered, "and despite my apparent victories, I know you're holding back."

" _ **I have a vessel; he can't handle the strain of my full power.**_ _**Already, I feel his body threatening to rip apart.**_ "

Dornavan said nothing, but instead reached for his hood. Throwing it off, Dornavan did the same likewise to his mask, revealing two red-orange stares, convening anger and purpose. Bruise marks appeared all over his face and Leviathan could see that blood oozed out from several cuts on his face, marring his light yellow-green skin. Dornavan's long hair lay matted about him, covered in sweat. Leviathan looked about himself, scorch marks leaving red burns on his face and clothing indicated the battle he took. That and the headache his vessel had at this point was simply murder.

This is why he rarely takes over.

" _ **Just like all the other Ribunis mages vessel met in the Ring,**_ " Leviathan said aloud, returning to his old aloof self. " _ **Angry at an apology.**_ "

"Imagine my surprise to hear that one day recently, I get a call from Valis who said that he could use my help," Dornavan started.

" _ **Sorry, can't imagine it,**_ " Leviathan answered. The mage ignored the joke and moved on.

"Said that he got a call from a Fell-Enk who was tasked with tracking down you and your lombax friend while Liege was busy with some last-minute preparations."

" _ **Like stalking us at IRIS.**_ "

"One of many. Valis said that apparently, you were going on a journey to travel through time, although he said that he wasn't too sure, it's just what he picked up. At first, I couldn't believe that. Time travel, think of the possibilities."

" _ **And this is what it comes down too. Reverse history and kill my vessel before I ever have a chance to ignite within him, giving him the power necessary to dispose of your old king.**_ "

"Quite. Might even let some other things happen," Dornavan said with a twinge of a smile.

" _ **Like what?**_ "

Dornavan pointed up to the sky, toward the space battle fought over Alnek. Leviathan followed and noticed quickly that the Defense Force fleet was annihilated. " _ **No,**_ " he muttered.

"Whatever is left of your allies has either been blown up or have boarded our fleet; they won't last much longer," Dornavan said, unsuccessfully drawing Leviathan's gaze. Unmoving from his vigil of the stars, Leviathan replied, " _ **So this was all a distraction, crash the Platforms to the ground, knowing that would draw me out, then somehow defeat me and use vessel as bait to get to the others.**_ "

"And once the others were out of the way, I would take Travel The Days and take care of you Leviathan."

Leviathan finally ripped his sight from the stars and looked at the mage. His aura suddenly flared up again before he disappeared, reappearing above the barrier, slamming repeated blow after blow, never letting up for a moment. Dornavan threw up his hands to where Leviathan was and cast several fireballs at the psychic. Leviathan avoided the attack by darting away, coming up behind the mage and layed a full blown kick on the shield, finally cracking it. It fell apart forthwith, dissipating into the air around them. Leviathan landed in the crater and rushed Dornavan. The mage snapped and suddenly, the leylines flashed brilliantly, bathing the area in blinding light.

Translucent chains burst forth from the ground, gripping both wrists and ankles as Leviathan was a mere breadth away from the Ribunis mage. Dornavan stepped back as the Leviathan was brought down.

"Planet Rune," the mage began. "The very life of the planet traps the bounded foe. The only possibility of breaking it is if one has the power to destroy planets, which none of us do." Dornavan snapped his fingers again and a platinum colored headband appeared, encircling his narrowing head. From the small, blue-lit dome a thin violet line ran around the circumference of the band. Leviathan looked up and froze.

" _ **Vessel**_ _ **destroyed those!**_ " The entity yelled. Dornavan placed his fingers against the dome and the Psych-Band hummed to life.

"There were four of them, not two," the Ribunis replied simply. "And even now there is still one more left."

Dornavan placed a hand on the bound psychic's right temple and closed his eyes. Psychic energy twitched and sparked to life in the Psych-Band, transferring its power to the mage's hand. Immediately, Leviathan fought against the pain which ensued, but soon found himself succumbing to it. The last thing he heard was a roar and dull static which reverberated in his own mind before silence overtook his world.

 _ **R &C**_

"That should give us a few minutes," Talwyn said, exhaustion thick in her words as she bent over, finally sitting herself down. There was a reason they hadn't meant any resistance along the halls of Balloch's ship… it had been waiting for them. Several batches, heavily defended with the Fell-Enk's troopers held both teams off. By stroke of luck both teams (now reduced to but a fraction of their original number) had managed to meet in the chaos of their hasty retreats and now took refuge in the maintenance hub of the ship. Once inside, Talwyn had the doors locked down and the their small band took a look around them. A heavy feeling weighed down on them and it was hard for anyone to look at things positively.

"Ma'am," the quiet voice of Harper sounded. Talwyn looked up and noticed the allonian handing her a rag.

"Thank you," she replied, taking the offered item and pressing it against her hand. Her breathing hitched as blood seeped onto the rag, darkening its grey fibers into a near black. It had been a great shot—albeit a lucky one too. A bullet had nailed her Combuster directly, exploding it. Her glove recieved the worst of it. In fact, if it weren't for it, well: " _It could have been worse,_ " she thought gravely, pushing the scenario from her mind. She looked around. Harper and the other pilot—female, slightly taller than Harper, short brown hair, dark blue eyes, pretty face—were hushed in conversation. She watched as they pointed to her right and back to her.

"I take it you have something," Talwyn said, standing up. Suddenly, she felt dizzy and stopped.

"Are you alright, captain?" The other pilot asked, moving over to Talwyn. "You look pale." Talwyn leaned against a wall and took a deep breath, her vision clearing with each slow exhale.

"I'll be fine," she replied wearily.

"We ended up in the wrong place," Harper said, meeting up with the two, watching as the other pilot tied the rag around Talwyn's hand. "Thank you," the markazian said, looking down at the blackened rag. Her whole hand was numb. "We were discussing a bit of sabotage captain, I'm aware that you and friends of mine partook in that earlier," Harper began suddenly.

"We were," Talwyn answered, "though I'm sure that ship is down now. Or it's been blown up."

"Could be either one," the other pilot concurred, raising her shoulders in a shrug.

At that moment, a loud buzzing could be heard from the other side of the door, followed by several voices, one of which was highly discernible to one of their group.

"Balloch is here," Talwyn said to the others. They looked at her, worried, then turned their gazes back to the door.

"Are they welding us in?" Harper asked carefully, watching as orange sparks fell into the room, following a path upward. "Why aren't they trying to bust in?"

"Come on, we need to get out of here, now!" Talwyn commanded, heading toward the opposite side of the room, straight to the door. She kneeled down next to a ventilation hatch and took a quick look at it. The two allonians came up behind her and took a look as well.

"Good idea, captain," Harper congratulated. "But we have no way to open this."

"Then find something."

"Yes, ma'am," both pilots answered, before turning around, hurriedly giving the large room a quick once-over. As they searched, Talwyn stood back up and checked their enemy's progress in welding the door. They were almost done. She found her left hand curling into a fist.

" _Wish I had brought the Constructo Shotgun with me._ _I_ _t_ _w_ _ould have been useful,_ " she thought, remembering how she left it in the shotgun of her ship. Talwyn turned away, going to scan the room when she picked up the voices of the two allonian pilots, "Good job, Erin."

Talwyn assumed that was the other pilot's name.

Harper now. "We have to get back to Captain Apogee."

They both came into view and ran over to Talwyn. Erin offered the drill to her. Talwyn took it and placed the tip inside the screw.

"How much time do we have left," she asked as she flicked the drill in reverse and pulled the trigger.

"They're done," Harper announced. The lights flickered and Talwyn stopped, looking around. "What happened?" She asked, seeing Harper smile victoriously to himself.

"I 'fiddled' around with some system interfaces," he replied, gesturing for Talwyn to start again. As she did, Talwyn heard Erin mentioning Harper severely damaged several systems—

"—and as a precaution, it would be best to get out of here," Erin finished, keeping her sight on the now-welded door. By now, Talwyn was placing the drill inside the third screw and began again. An even louder noise began to emanate from the other side of the door, drawing the three's attention. Vibrations echoed throughout the room and the floor began to rend itself. Talwyn finished the third screw and began on the fourth.

"Erin, over here," Harper called out, flipping over a nearby table. "Help me move this, will you?"

"Okay, sarge." Together, the pilots lifted the table and placed it right up to the door. They stood back as the humming had reached a culmination and the door appeared to be taking on a bluish glow from behind. Suddenly, the door began to fade away, growing dimmer as the silhouettes of enemy troopers became visible behind the door. Finally, with the fall of the last screw, Talwyn pulled away the grate and called to Erin and Harper. They moved toward the markazian as the final vestiges of the door was fading away.

"Get in!" Talwyn commanded. "I'm right behind you!"

They both appeared hesitant for a brief moment before they nodded and complied. One after the other, getting down on their hands and knees, they began crawling through the ventilation ducts. Troopers hopped in—over the table barricade—and pointed their weapons at Talwyn. She stood up, refusing to grant them the satisfaction of surrender. A loud bang was heard as the markazian risked a glance to where the noise came from. The table was scattered and layed on its side, far from the door as a giant of a being stepped in, donned in a bulky, white spacesuit.

"Balloch," Talwyn spat. The Fell-Enk chuckled from inside the Aeon Remover and lifted his hands to his helmet. A quick 'whoosh' filtered into the air, prickling everyone's ear as Balloch lifted the helmet off and dropped it beside him.

"Greetings, Miss Apogee." Balloch spoke evenly, cordially too. But his face betrayed his tone. He wore his proudest smirk, making Talwyn's blood boil. Balloch glanced toward the open duct and shook his head, expression mirroring the feigned disappointment me took on at the sight of their soon-to-be-foiled escape plan.

"Looks like there may be others aboard this ship. Find them and—"

The lights flickered again, longer this time. Balloch expressed his minor annoyance as he finished his command.

"And bring them to me."

Several near-by troopers acknowledged the order and left the room. As they left, a new figure walked into the room—this time donned in scared ruby armor. His cloak rested over his shoulder as he glanced about the room, taking in everyone and everything. However, what trailed behind him truly surprised all but him: a glowing, hollow sphere of golden-white light. Inside it was the newcomer's prisoner.

"You actually did it," Balloch spoke first, impressed. "Pardon me for doubting you."

"Pardoned," Dornavan said, a wicked gleam in his eyes as he looked at the markazian standing before them. He gestured to the orb and asked, "Surprising?"

Talwyn stared at the orb, her insides very much in shock, but outside she remained composed.

"So, what's this about 'others on the ship'?" Dornavan asked bitingly.

"They'll be found," Balloch answered easily. "Though now, we have this to take care of." He gestured to Talwyn, who had looked away from the orb and now stared them both down.

"Leave that to me," Dornavan remarked as he raised his hand to the markazian, a sickly green glow appeared as a stench filled the air. Talwyn realized too late that it was a type of magical gas and had already taken a whiff of it. The effects were straight and hit home in no time. Balloch, Dornavan and the other troopers watched as Talwyn fell unconscious and lifelessly hit the floor.

"Truly, you never stop amazing me," Balloch whistled in response, signaling his troops to move in and contain.

"Thank you," Dornavan said, turning away. Approaching soldiers came in the room and saluted Balloch, telling him that the others escaped.

"No matter," the commander said in dismissal. "We have what we need. Now the rest of you, figure out which ships of ours are still operational. We need to get—"

The lights died.

"AND WOULD SOMEONE FIX THE LIGHTS!"

 _ **R &C**_

Ratchet, Clank, and Terin, inside their respective Lombax ships Aphelion and Zenith, (although this time, Clank was riding with Terin) were making headway to the northeastern hemisphere hoping—despite learning from Clank what they were supposed to do—to find the Crolnan from the air.

"Aphelion, your radar picking up anything?" Zenith questioned, "Because I'm coming up with zip myself."

"Negative, Zenith," Aphelion answered. "It is like there is nothing here."

"Well, we have sometime before we're where we need to be so let's not get hasty," Ratchet spoke up, taking a peek out the canopy glass. It resembled many a world inhabited by the Fongoids. Although they were to far up to make out any specifics, the lush vegetation and green of this world was a blanket which covered the landforms of this peaceful planet.

"I concur," Clank transmitted, his voice filling Aphelion's cabin. Ratchet chuckled. "Miss you pal."

Clank warmly returned the sentiment. "You too, Ratchet."

* * *

 **AN: (3-21-18) Edited.**


	25. In Tempalo, It's Find Or Be Found

Swiftly and without a sound two figures entered into the smoke-filled room. However, they seemed unfazed by its heavy and languid presence. One of them stepped forward in front of the other and bowed his head in reverence.

"Elderthemoonisgreen," he spoke hastily, words blurred amidst the smoke. "Thetimehascome. TheGuardian'ssonishere."

From deep within the smoke the elder stirred, standing up to address the two who entered. "I'm aware." His words, unlike the two who stood before him, were slow, leaving his lips at a leisurely pace.

"Shallwebringthemhere?" The figure in front asked.

"You may. Make sure they are unharmed. They still have much work to do."

 _ **R &C**_

Their camp was anything but quiet. Between the distinct sounds of laughter, the crackling fire, and the distant echoes of the nighttime forest, silence had been a shirking factor amongst the quintet. Aphelion, Zenith, Terin, Ratchet, and Clank had spent the past few dark hours enjoying each other company, currently discussing Lombax "ingenuity". This earned many great recounts of sometimes marvelous, sometimes pointless, and sometimes strange inventions which really, really make one wonder at times.

Ratchet, in his hindered state, tried his best to hold it in. And he succeeded too, until someone, Clank obviously, mentioned the all-purpose gaming upgrade that the lombax made to their couch back on Veldin. Exasperated, Ratchet shot Clank a look. The Zoni didn't mind at all. He and the others were already making light at the expense of the galactic hero.

"Look, in my defense," Ratchet started, "that was an old invention of mine. Made it shortly after Dreadzone."

Clank and Terin exchanged a glance.

"I wanted a break," he finished, speaking with finality.

Terin, sitting opposite of Ratchet and Clank, chuckled one last time before moving to lie down on the ground.

"Now what about you, Terin?" Ratchet asked, "You know, after having rattled off my list of inventions, and you your friends… I want to know what you've done."

Terin sighed. By no stretch of the imagination was he green at tinkering, it's just that he never found cause to sit around with a bunch of tools all day working on the craziest devices his mind could construct. In others areas of life, sure, he went above and beyond the norm, earning for himself a name among his kind. But tinkering? He never really took the time to make anything of it. If he were honest right now, it was actually embarrassing. It was one the most key characteristics of Lombaxes.

"Well..." Terin began, fumbling for words to which nothing would come, failing to save him from the unseen knowing looks Ratchet and Clank sent his way.

"Do not be ashamed Terin," Clank ventured. "We are no strangers to awkward tales."

"Nah, don't bother Clank," Ratchet said lightly, his tone betraying his words. "From what we know of him, he's probably all too military to enjoy anything that makes a lombax a lombax."

Ratchet obviously meant it in jest, that much was true. But if Terin could see the other lombax's face, he'd probably hit it—really hard. And that injury wouldn't stop him either. Exhaling dejectedly, Terin reached around with his hand for something to throw at them. A small rock met his fingers and he chucked it over. The short "whoa" Ratchet said and the solitary chuckle that followed suit proved to Terin that he'd miss.

Whatever.

Terin spoke again, the life in his voice suppressed as he took a breath. "I mean the best thing to my name is Zenith."

"I am honestly unsure whether to be flattered or insulted," the aforementioned ship replied, heavy with sarcasm. Terin reached for another rock and chucked it over to Zenith. Just like earlier, it too missed, sailing clean over the lombax ship. And just like Ratchet, Zenith too laughed.

"Put a sock in it," Terin answered.

"Hmm, strange. Did any of you notice that before?" Clank suddenly asked, earning confused utterances from the lombaxes and their ships. Ratchet looked over at his pal, seeing that Clank was pointing toward the sky. Ratchet followed the direction and at that moment, he saw what Clank saw as well.

"Terin look," Ratchet commanded.

The silver lombax moved up on his elbows and looked at the duo before he could see Ratchet make a singular gesture with his index finger, pointing behind Terin. He wheeled around and gazed across the sky, looking for what grabbed their attentions so forcibly. In short order, he found it. The moon above them was green. Light green. Like Clank's eyes.

" _Come to think of it,_ " Terin thought, looking back at the Zoni again, " _they are the same._ " Terin echoed his thoughts in words. Ratchet and Clank both agreed with the statement. Although this simply puzzled them more. As Terin cycled through ideas in his head, he barely made out Ratchet asking Clank what Sigmund said of the Crolnan. More specifically, what they would do when they arrived.

"Interesting," Clank answered, picking up Ratchet's line of thinking. "You believe the moon to be a signal of sorts."

"Could be," Ratchet returned. "Though this could just be the reflected light."

Flimsy.

Ratchet knew it wouldn't hold, especially with all the crazy related events that have gone down in such short time. At this point, Ratchet believed nothing could surprise him now. The lombax watched as Clank stood up and walked over to Terin, who stood gazing at the rotund green sphere in the sky.

" _Sigmund said to land and not worry._ _T_ _hey will find us._ " Those words rolled around his thoughts as Ratchet used his ears to catch the slightest off-noise. Only the conversation of Terin and Clank and the crackling of a dying fire was all that could be heard. It was too quiet. And that put him on the defensive. He stopped immediately, allowing his ears to rest on his head. He was taking matters into his own hands now. And that usually meant wielding the closest weapon he could find to carve out his own path to his goals. That may only work in the thick of things, but now, they were currently resting, not in the middle of a firefight.

Plus he was injured.

Ratchet adjusted himself away from the tree he was using as a prop and slowly let himself down, coming onto contact with the cool ground. He was becoming more adjusted with the endoskeleton now, yet it still hurt to move. Bathed in faint red of the dying fire, Ratchet closed his eyes and allowed himself to be carried off by slumber.

* * *

The snoring nabbed their attention immediately. Both of them looked to the golden lombax as a result. Terin chuckled and said quietly, noting the Zoni's sour expression, "He may have a point Clank." In response, Clank shrugged and shook his head. "You may be right, Terin. It does seem to be quite late." They took another lasting look at the bright moon. "I'll take watch," Terin offered, tone indicating that it was more of a statement than anything else.

"Okay. Good night then Terin," Clank said, walking back toward Ratchet, Aphelion, and Zenith. The lombax watched as Aphelion opened her canopy silently and Clank climbed in using his Heli-pack. She closed it again once the Zoni was inside, saying goodnight to the last awake members of their group. Zenith mumbled a response. Terin's was better, but it too was given over to certain degree of mumble. The lombax turned away and looked back to the moon. It didn't hold his attention for long and he dropped his head to gaze about the camp. Dark green trees encircled them on almost every side, stopping short to where Terin was standing (for he was on the cliff's edge). Between the net of evergreens was an all-encompassing wall of darkness, lying about lazily, but steadily creeping in as the fire died out.

Terin walked over to Zenith where he had set a pile of kindling. He picked up a few pieces and walked back to the fire. He took a piece—a twig—and kneeled down, poking about, looking for a warm enough spot to reignite the flames.

" _There we go,_ " he thought, finding an ember pile suitable for his purposes. He placed the twig on top and hoped it would catch. He took a step back as a solitary flame leaped up at him. Quick reflexes pulled his hand out. He took another piece of kindling and placed it into the young fire. One by one, the lombax deposited more and more fledgling pieces into the flame, growing it sizable before he stood back up, wiping off his gloved hands. Terin looked about the camp again. The fire fought back the darkness, giving the lombax some much needed breathing room. He reached behind for his Praetorian Omniwrench, only to find it not there at all.

One brief panic moment followed by another, even briefer realization ran succession as Terin remembered he no longer carried his wrench on his back anymore. Clank now held that position.

A smile creeped up on Terin's muzzle as the novelty of it all just sat there in the lombax's thoughts. Strange to think about, but it is what it is. Terin walked over to Zenith and found his wrench on top of the ship's split nose. As he grabbed it, faint brushes and cracking underfoot told the lombax of another presence in the vicinity. Immediately, he went to guard stance, piercing the veil around the camp with his sight. Held high and alert, his ears too joined the search for the intruder. Right there he noticed it coming from the black—a high-intensity blue energy shot—heading for his feet. Terin backflipped away, landing near the cliff's edge as the shot came into contact with where he'd been standing, exploding into a large hemisphere of energy.

Nothing happened to anything caught in the vicinity. Everything remained intact as Terin landed and swept his gaze throughout the blue orb. Only when he saw the fire did it start to register.

" _Whoever that was can manipulate time,_ " he thought as an attack from his peripheral came in and his wrench moved to block it. Terin's foe passed by him as soon as the attack became null and the lombax was soon meant by another attack out of his peripheral, this time coming from the opposite direction. Only able to deflect this time, Terin took a step back and sensed the cliff getting closer to him. Another attack came at him from the left side. Whoever they were, they were moving with an enhanced speed most races weren't capable of naturally. All he could see as he blocked their attacks was a streak of blue and the lombax quickly noticed that it was their weapon which was so.

Luckily for him, they weren't forcing him to give ground, but he couldn't make any himself. After another attack, Terin jumped backward, sending himself falling off the edge of the cliff. A jet blue flame flickered to life as his hoverboots slowed his fall, eventually being replaced by an orange flame as the lombax then moved upward, toward the cliff's edge. He blasted beyond them and held himself far above the intruders. They turned around and looked up at Terin. With the distance between them (and their backs to the suspended fire), Terin couldn't easily pick out specific features about his attackers. But he could see their weapons were tridents; the triple prongs was the blue he saw earlier, obviously crystals. They carried the tridents top-heavy, allowing the shards to rest on the ground.

The three of them watched each other in silence for sometime and the lombax noted his shift to restlessness. They had long-ranged attacks, so he wondered why they weren't using them. But he didn't expect what happened next… or what it revealed. One of the attackers raised his trident and tapped the shoulder of his friend with it. Several pulsing blue circles flashed about his body and he leaped over the edge. Instead of falling however, the unknown attacker simply levitated off the ridge, looking up at Terin.

It was in that brief flashing moment that so shocked Terin. Purple skin with white swirl patterns on the arms, a head that flattened out on top and curved as it came down to the neck, horns that wrapped inward, stick-like legs, long arms, three fingers, and three toes... they were Fongoids. Only taller, obviously more capable in combat, and more toned than their Polaris cousins. Terin blinked, as if to tell himself he was seeing things. In the span of that moment, Terin felt himself butted in the gut by the 'Fongoid's' trident and a sharp strike nailing mid-point on his back, sending him flying toward the cliff edge. He collided against the rock hard, leaving a broken imprint. The force caused his hoverboots to sputter and fail.

Coughing, the lombax fell over, losing consciousness as the last thing he felt aware of was himself being grabbed hold of.

 _ **R &C**_

Battalions of ships swept the surrounding area of the tragic firefight. Salvage crews worked tirelessly to secure scrap and debris of the broken ships. Rescue teams were sent down to Alnek, checking for survivors. Inside a cruiser, Harper and Erin had just been looked over by a medic and were standing before the CO. of the operation. They explained everything they knew: from the falling of the Platforms, to the terrible weapon the invading force brought with them, (to which the officer had them repeat in order to begin fathoming such an occurrence), and lastly, Talwyn's sacrifice so that they could escape.

The officer cursed at their own delay. Getting vengeance on the invading force would be most fitting at the moment; but Harper and Erin had told him that after they escaped, the enemies' remaining forces mustered up into whatever fleet they had left and hightailed it out of there, heading north to who knows where.

"You're excused," the officer said grimly after they finished their report. They saluted him and left.

"Gale, progress report," someone commanded. Gale turned toward his console and pressed a button. "General sir, I just finished speaking with the survivors of the attack."

"What did they say?" The general asked.

"Our entire defense force had been defeated. Afterwards, the attackers regrouped and headed north."

"Toward Tempalo?"

"It would seem that way," Gale replied, "there isn't much beyond that point." Silently, another trooper opened the door and walked in, brandishing a paper at him. Gale took it and thanked him with a nod. Saluting, the trooper left in haste.

"What are your orders sir?" Gale asked, returning his attention to the call.

"Just continue with the salvage operation," the general answered. "I'll worry about the losses."

The call ended and Gale looked down at the paper in his hands. Scanning through it, the report told of every energy signature among the wreckage. After a quick scan, it appeared that most checked out. However, two sources had strange readings. Numbers he couldn't make sense of. And both were off the charts. Raising a hand to his face, he scratched at his beard while pondering the answers. If Harper and Erin were correct that would account for one of the strange numbers. But that still left one unaccounted for.

" _Something happened out there today,_ " Gale thought as set the paper down. According to Harper and Erin, Grayman had initially refused to bring in the whole military, thinking that they were not needed.

" _He always wanted to prove himself after he lost his brother and sister._ " Gale exhaled to try and calm down. He knew—just like Walreck—that it was a foolhardy move to limit your forces when you could ask for them. It's not like they were busy or anything, they could have deployed the extra reinforcements. Now, because of that one mistake, the entire defense force was gone. Kaput! His vision returned to the paper on his desk.

" _They'll need to know about this,_ " Gale thought as he grabbed his hat and set it on his head. Next, he grabbed the paper and moved around the desk, making his way toward the door where he opened it and crossed the threshold, not acknowledging it close behind him as he walked toward the hangar. He wasn't sure what happened today or what his COs were discussing, but he was going to make sure it mattered. Alnek lay broken below them because of it. And the defense force was shattered because of it.

 _ **R &C**_

Dornavan paced the control room, glancing between the monitors, the staff at the computers, and Nathaniel himself. Suspended inside a proton field, pumped full of cryogas, and—for extra measure—some fine binding runes added to the psychic's prison, Dornavan knew their was no way that Nathaniel could escape.

Yet, he still felt uneasy.

The fight didn't go as planned. Well, yes, it did go as planned, but he wasn't expecting the fight to go the way it did. If that was how powerful Leviathan was then he wasn't as powerful as everyone made him out to be. Dornavan slowed his pace down and turned toward the psychic's prison. The battle had taken its tolls on everyone. Only two space-faring vessels were operable after the bout with Raynarn's Defense Force. And the worst part was that both vessels were short of staff, not to mention military.

It was the soundest retaliation ever delivered by a loser. In addition, the lack severely annoyed Balloch, who got into contact with Liege and broke the news to him. The Cragmite expressed severe disappointment at their failure and commanded them to meet up with him in Tempalo. After signing off, Balloch had their signals scrambled to prevent anyone from tracking them down.

Dornavan returned his thoughts to the prison behind the glass.

 _ **"I have a vessel; he can't handle the strain of my full power. Already, I feel his body threatening to rip apart."**_

Leviathan may have been right then. But that only worked in his favor. He'd take it. From behind, a booming voice divided his attention. "Admiring the spoils of war?" It asked.

"No Balloch. I'm just thinking," Dornavan answered wearily. "Ever have something go your way and it be much easier than originally thought?"

"A few come to mind from off the top of my head. Why?"

"I'm disappointed in the Leviathan. The battle was easy. Can't help but feel cheated."

Balloch shot Dornavan a look. "You'd rather run the risk of losing?"

"Of course not. It's just that I had a chance to settle an old grudge. But the universe saw to it I wasn't satisfied with the result." Dornavan sighed heavily and turned away, walking toward the door where he left Balloch alone, watching the psychic's prison. In time, the Fell-Enk too turned away and followed where the Ribunis had walked out. As the commander moved throughout the ship, workers got out of his way, allowing for smooth, undisturbed traveling. Balloch soon returned to his office and sat himself down, placing his beefy arms on the chair's armrest. He should probably find Dornavan and spar a bit since there was nothing else better to do.

It gets boring tracking someone down day in and day out.

Reclining back in the chair, Balloch turned his seat toward the vast emptiness outside the window.

" _At least the hard part is behind us._ "

* * *

Dornavan entered the cell, finding its only red head prisoner sitting on the floor, looking down at a pair of cuffs some troopers put on after the mage rendered her unconscious from his spell. She looked up at him upon entrance, her features transmitting surprise at seeing the mage.

"Hello," Dornavan said upon making eye contact with Talwyn. He moved to the far side of the room, opposite of the markazian and sat down, continuing to hold her gaze. Talwyn regarded the mage's behavior as odd and returned his greeting with a tentative 'hey'.

"How are you holding up here?" Dornavan inquired. "And please no biting remarks, I'm in no mood for those."

Inside, Talwyn wondered what happened to the mage that made him so weary but decided in the end to accede to his wishes.

"To be honest, okay," she began, looking around the cell, avoiding the mage's boring stare. She didn't see it but Dornavan smiled knowingly. "It's quite monotonous in here. Mind-numbing actually."

"I can see that. The walls are so astonishingly white," Dornavan said, chuckling. "And plain. And uninteresting. So what else?" Talwyn raised her hands up, showing the mage the cuffs which enclosed them. She nodded to the right one and uttered one word: "Stings."

"How come?"

"Some soldier nailed my Combuster and it exploded. I got lucky and it ruined my glove. That saved my hand from what could have been a disaster."

"You'll have to excuse me if I don't do anything about it."

"I thought you said 'no biting remarks'."

The mage picked up on the underlying tone and groaned in annoyance, burying his face into his right hand. He didn't see it but, Talwyn smirked in pride. "First off," Dornavan said, holding up his left index, looking back at the markazian, taking note of the victorious expression she wore. "I meant you no biting remarks. Second, I'm being one-hundred percent serious: I'm not doing anything about it because I don't care!"

Dornavan looked away in exasperation toward the door where he had entered. Audible breathing pricked Talwyn's ears as she watched the mage, quietly contemplating the outburst. Time rolled on as they continued sitting there, anywhere except the other person holding their interest.

"Well then, let me turn your question back on you," she started after a while. "How are you holding up here?"

Dornavan looked at her. His searching orange gaze conveying a sort of distrust in Talwyn's words. "Well enough," he said at last.

"Really? You seemed tired coming in."

Dornavan shook his head as if it were cumbersome. "Your friend was rather annoying," he said. "Speaking of who, you're starting to remind me of him."

She let the insult slide. "You mean Nathaniel?"

"I do. The fight was tough, but I won." Dornavan sighed. "I feel cheated."

"Cheated?"

"Apparently, there were some restrictions the Leviathan—"

"—Leviathan?" Talwyn's head cocked to one side. "You mean that super powerful entity dwelling in Nathaniel?"

Dornavan looked visibly surprised, then nodded with an air of respect. "Indeed. How do you know that?"

"Terin gave an exposition on him a while ago," came the markazian's easy reply.

"Well informed then," Dornavan said, "I'll give both of you that. In any case, there were limitations in Nathaniel that prevented Leviathan from fighting at full strength. It's both a good and bad thing."

" _Ooookay_ ," Talwyn thought, letting the mage's statement go without reply. Her gaze found the door as Dornavan exhaled and stood up.

"Leaving?" she asked, noting the mage's movement out of her peripheral.

"I guess I will." He moved toward the door where it receded at his approach. He stopped and lingered at the threshold as he placed a hand on the doorway. "Goodbye, Miss Apogee."

He left before Talwyn could reply.

 _ **R &C**_

The room was illuminated in light, both blinding and glaring. Battered bits of steel lay crushed before him. Kneeling amongst the wreckage, he moved a claw over a piece and grabbed it. Using his other hand, he grabbed hold of the piece and proceeded to tear it in half. Liege dropped the pieces and stood up.

"You're not one for random destruction Liege," one spoke from behind the cloaked Cragmite.

"Sannabrich," Liege replied quietly. "Da kur?"

A holographic projection of the Fell-Enk commander moved about the room, taking in the littered mess blanketing the floor. Balloch stopped once he came around and stood before Liege. Leveling a stare toward the Cragmite, Balloch spoke one word: "Scon."

"Bishe dier tok." It was blunt, filled to the brim with biting admonition.

"The only question is why?" Balloch pressed. Liege refused the Fell-Enk satisfaction of an answer. Instead, he gestured to the floor and then pointed straight at Balloch. A slow, creeping hint of amusement found its way onto Balloch as he let his gaze again sweep the cluttered floor.

"I'm lucky then to be a hologram."

"Bar."

"We've entered hyperspace and are approximately a few hours out of Tempalo. Are you there yet?"

"De ak."

"Have you encountered the Lombaxes and Zoni?"

"Nx."

The commander reared his head forward, seeing how Liege was dealing with this scenario. He knew that somewhere something was unnerving Liege. First Dornavan, now Liege. Something was wrong. He wondered if the psychic was somehow pulling this off. Unlikely yes, but he would have to check.

"My earlier statement still stands," Balloch said aloud.

"Q-se yot." Liege admitted, albeit sounding weary. "Q-si hana zivin."

"What kind of vision?"

"Siem."

The next few moments were met by silence between the two leading members. Balloch took a step back and asked solemnly, "What happened?"

"Q delk," Liege answered, head bowed low, his normally agonizing speech reduced to nothing less than a disgraced whisper.

" _And the truth is set free,_ " Balloch thought. "What are your orders?"

Liege crouched and picked up another broken piece of steel. He stood up and twirled it around in his fingers. Looking up at the hologram Fell-Enk, Liege stretched out his claw, offering the piece. Balloch noted the movement, silently posing a question to the Cragmite. In response, he smiled and crushed it, filling the room with a thorough crinkle.

"Gen cik warr, Sannabrich."

"Will do."

Balloch cut off the hologram. Liege dropped the crushed steel and left the room, trampling more metal underfoot.

* * *

 **AN: (3-22-18) Edited.**

 **Still the same, Cragmite translations are as follow:**

 **"Sannabrich" = "Commander"**

 **"Da kur?" = "What is it?"**

 **"Bishe dier tok." = "Bite your tongue.** **"**

 **"Bar." = "Indeed."**

 **"De ak." = "We are."**

 **"Nx." = "No."**

 **"Q-se yot." = "I'm aware."**

 **"Q-si hana zivin." = "I've had a vision."**

 **"Siem." = "Real."**

 **"Q delk." = "I died."**

 **"Gen cik warr, Sannabrich." = "Just get here, Commander."**


	26. The Crolnan

A pleasing fragrance lay sleepily about the room. It was the first thing Ratchet noticed as he began to stir from his sleep. He gently blinked his eyes open and noticed the heavy fog about him, layered thick but still plenty of centicubits above him. Ratchet carefully turned his head right and left, trying to get a visual on his surroundings. He couldn't see it too well, but his head told him that he was lying on a blanket. He couldn't identify the material but he could recognize that it was soft, very soft.

"Nothing hurts," he muttered to himself, silently impressed. Around him, Ratchet could see in any direction he looked what he took to be curved walls. He judged himself to be in a room, small and approximately in the center of it. From his position he could see nothing that resembled a door.

" _Where am I?_ " Ratchet thought as his gaze returned to the fog. " _And where is everybody else?_ "

The idea of being alone didn't worry him much, although being injured definitely lent it some gravity. But mostly, he was concerned for the others. As far as he could tell, they weren't nearby. And this wasn't the campground that he, Clank, and Terin settled at. So where were they?

His ears perked to a sound, flat and unassuming, moving closer to the lombax's position.

" _No voices,_ " he thought curiously, knowing the approaching noise to be steady footfall, yet he pondered the purpose of their coming here.

" _They must be here to check up on me._ " Ratchet closed his eyes and faked being out. For a brief moment the steps paused, but he soon heard them again alongside a 'whoosh', as if someone moved a drape over.

"Ratchet," someone called out. It was quiet, and the syllables were stretched out, speaking each one slowly, as if testing it for the first time. Nothing in the lombax told him he was in danger, so he opened his eyes and spoke aloud, "Hello. Who's there?"

"Don't be scared. I am Diminuel," the self-same voice said again, a bit louder this time around, still slowly pronouncing each syllable. Ratchet noted the voice sounded kin to that of a young girl, perhaps a bit older.

"Hey," Ratchet called out softly. "Could you tell me where I am and where my friends are?"

"I can. But first," Diminuel started, "you need to do something first."

Ratchet soon heard the sound of rummaging, assuming Diminuel to be searching for something. From the similar sounds that entered his ears, Ratchet assumed again the contents of whatever she was carrying to be similar to each other, and were all contained inside a bag or satchel.

"Aha, here you are!" Diminuel chirped. The sound of rummaging stopped. "What do you have there?" Ratchet inquired, wishing he could see what it was exactly. Actually, he wished he could see anything but this fog really.

"Something you need to eat," she said, in a tone that bequeathed command, speaking as if she was some doctor and given the lombax a prescription. He was going to interject, because, in his mind, Ratchet had enough doctors. More than enough actually. Ratchet began to claim that he was fine and that he was not going to chomp down on anything anytime soon when suddenly, a green-blue leaf lay resting on his nose. Ratchet stopped talking and, with newfound curiosity, he lifted his hand to his face and picked up the leaf. Shaped like a perfect spade from a deck of cards, Ratchet saw the blue in the leaf's veins. The foreign coloring seemed to invade the green, making the whole leaf look sick or contaminated. At the end of his analysis, Ratchet concluded that this did not look edible.

"Uhh, you expect me to eat this?" He asked, trying his best to keep his obvious distaste to a minimal.

"Believe me," Diminuel replied, "it is much better than it looks."

"You would be surprised how many times I've been told that."

"Then it seems to me that those people who have told you that do not have your best interest at heart. Quite selfish if you ask me."

Ratchet blinked. What kind of statement was that? Baffled, Ratchet nodded cautiously and returned, "Well, that's true but have you never heard of a practical joke?"

"Practical joke?" Diminuel seemed to let that roll around her thoughts for sometime. "No."

" _Wow, that's—_ " Ratchet thought, only to be interrupted when her voice reached his ears. "Although I do know that a joke is a statement one tells another to coerce laughter."

"That's correct… sometimes." Ratchet mumbled the last word.

"And practical is when something… something… hmm—" Her words trailed off as she struggled for an answer.

"Practical, in this case, would be something resulting from practice or action. Combine the two and that's when a joke becomes something for the amusement of the one committing it. Even at the expense of the victim," Ratchet supplied, finding the guest's rather strange innocence a novel. His thoughts returned to the leaf. He looked at it again. And without another thought, he opened his mouth, placing the plant in between his teeth before chewing. Nothing sensational attacked his taste buds as his teeth meticulously worked to shred the solitary leaf. But Diminuel was right: "it is much better than it looks". He swallowed, placing a hand on his throat as a striking pain shot through it.

"You ate it?" Diminuel asked suddenly.

"Yeah," Ratchet mumbled out. Why was swallowing the worst when you were unwell? It could even be worse than Qwark. " _Now that's something,_ " mused the lombax.

"I guess it's time for me to tell you where your friends are."

"Um, sure." He'd gotten so caught up in the conversation that wanting to locate Clank, Terin and there ships had been pushed to the back of his mind. But Diminuel's overall attitude reminded him of someone from a somewhat recent time—albeit the many differences between the two. His thoughts went to Suzie, the tharpod child/galactic scout who'd helped him, Clank, Qwark, and Nefarious when they were taken to planet Magnus by Ephemeris. She was the one to sneak into the behemoth creature collector and used a Vac-U to free them from their stasis bonds. And, according to Commander Spog, the one who was sticking chewing gum in all the machinery.

Yep, their differences were many, but both seemingly reminded Ratchet of simpler things. His thoughts returned to reality and he told Diminuel to show him the way. Just as soon as he got up. "This is an agonizing process," he finished, turning himself flat on his stomach. Against grinding teeth and bursting flames from within, Ratchet placed his hands on the blanket and pressed against it. He expected much, much trouble but his arms immediately responded, instantly throwing up the approximate ninety-five pound lombax over his feet. By such a sudden motion, he nearly tumbled over and on instinct, his tail shot out to catch himself from falling.

Wait, tail?

Ratchet craned his head and to his utter amazement, his tail saved him from a fall.

...

...

...

He wasn't hurting. At all. Anywhere. Ratchet faced forward and looked down at his feet. Only his heels were resting on the floor. No pain there. He looked to his arms and swung them both, cautiously at first, but he quickly found out that it didn't hurt either. He stopped. Looking back at his tail, Ratchet remembered for the first time what Dr. Rinis said about the endoskeleton: "... _he'll be faster, stronger, more_ _resilient._ "

"Well, this is something," voiced Ratchet, limply pressing off his tail, coming up on his feet.

"You can thank the Keliop leaf for that."

Ratchet looked up at the sound. The fog didn't allow for much sight farther than his own body, but he recognized the voice to be Diminuel's.

"Keliop leaf?" Ratchet asked.

"Mmhmm," came her simple reply.

"So, my injury—"

"—is delayed."

"Delayed?

"Yes. Now if you will follow me, I'll take you to your friends."

"Lead the way."

Ratchet started his way through the fog, using his ears to follow Diminuel out of the room. He came up to where he'd heard the 'whoosh' noise and felt about. It was a drape that could be moved aside for easy passage. After crossing it, Ratchet came into a large hallway of stone. As the lombax walked alongside the walls, he looked to find sketches and other artistry chiseled into the rock. Every detail Ratchet acknowledged was done by masters of the craft. And as the lombax started to inspect the work with a keener eye, he soon noticed the many details forming into pictures, and the pictures into a story.

A story of—

"Over here!"

Ratchet looked up from the walls toward the end of the hall where he spotted Diminuel, waving at him to hurry up. Ratchet took a double take once Diminuel's race dawned on him.

—Fongoids.

Between the young lady before him and the miniatures etched into the stone, there was minimal difference, although from the distance pervading the two, Ratchet saw that the living, breathing fongoid down the way was donned in a modest, long-sleeved, light green dress.

Taking one last look to the wall and placing his hand on it, Ratchet ran his hand across the surface before starting off again, hoping that this time he didn't lose his guide. Diminuel waited for Ratchet to near before taking off again.

"Would it kill you to slow down?" Ratchet called out, echoes bouncing across the hall. Her echoes answered back, calling out for him to run.

Run? Was she crazy?

* * *

 _"You can thank the Keliop leaf for that."_

 _Ratchet looked up at the sound. The fog didn't allow for much sight farther than his own body, but he recognized the voice to be Diminuel's._

 _"Keliop leaf?" Ratchet asked._

 _"Mmhmm," came her simple reply._

 _"So, my injury—"_

 _"—is delayed."_

 _"Delayed?_

* * *

Ratchet paused to ponder the meaning behind that blunt statement. Exactly how long was his pain delayed? Was it five minutes? Ten? Twenty? An hour? Indefinite? And his arm strength seemed to finally kick in; his tail as well. It only required a little effort to pick himself up off the floor. So that was useful.

Was running then that bad of an idea?

Ratchet braced himself. " _It's now or never._ " Accomplished, he started walking again, quickly picking up his pace until his legs started pumping methodically, carrying him faster and faster. Feet pounding, Ratchet rounded a corner and saw a light at the end of the hall. He pushed himself harder, chest rising and falling as his body exerted itself more then it had over the last few days. This may have been a bad idea, but at his point, he didn't care. The feeling of moving again, especially at this speed, was exhilarating.

As he neared the end of the hall, Ratchet realized that the light was actually a portal leading outside. He slowed down, coming to a stop right before crossing over. Here, Ratchet's vision was met with life abundant. He reared his head back. What he'd took to be a series of halls was actually a small, simple cave system. For what purpose it served Ratchet could only begin to wonder. He turned again toward the world outside the portal and stepped forth.

Series of succeeding bird sounds chirped and cheeped, singing songs to the bright blue day at large. The air was sweet on the breeze as it whistled in and between the lombax's ears. Although dominated and overshadowed sometimes by the vastly different shades of green, many different hues found their place among the flora. Dashing and dotting, the bright colors popped here, there, and everywhere. Strong and sturdy trees held their ground, casting crisscross shade patterns on the ground below, catching the lombax inside their welcoming protection.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ratchet saw something jump in and out of his peripheral in the blink of an eye. He whipped around to see what had gone by but couldn't make anything out in the distance. Just more signs of blooming vitality.

"How do you like it?" A familiar voice started.

"It's amazing," Ratchet said, looking around for Diminuel. "But weren't you going to take me to the others?"

"I was," she acceded. She sounded close this time. Ratchet turned around, coming face to face with the elusive fongoid. "I just wanted to show you our home." She smiled at Ratchet.

"Well," Ratchet said, using a hand to gesture to their surroundings. "And I'm sure there's more to see."

Diminuel nodded. "There is." She turned around, dress twirling with the sudden motion. "Our village is down this way."

"As I've already said," Ratchet sighed, "lead the way."

He wasted no time catching up with the sprightly young girl. He started to walk alongside her, matching her gait step for step. "So, I've got to ask," Ratchet began after some time. "Are you a Fongoid or a Crolnan?"

"Oh, we've found you. We're the Crolnan," Diminuel answered. "But I would prefer if you not ask questions. The elder will explain everything you want to know about us or Travel The Days."

Ratchet looked over curiously. "You know about the artifact?"

"We all do. Every Crolnan knows about our charge."

"Travel The Days is your charge?"

Diminuel shook her head. "The elder will explain everything."

"You just answered my other question."

"I know."

"Why?"

"I was playing a practical joke on you."

Ratchet rolled his eyes. "Okay," he mumbled, shaking his head. "You obviously need pointers."

"If only we had time to," Diminuel replied wistfully. Something must have caught her attention because the next thing Ratchet knew, his guide was running ahead, calling back for him to follow. Ratchet shrugged before he broke into another sprint. As he followed Diminuel off the path they'd been on onto another, Ratchet marveled at the energy in him. He had no clue he needed this. But after being cooped up like a newborn for the past few days, to finally run free was something dearly missed.

"There," Ratchet heard his guide call over her shoulder. The lombax looked up and noticed Diminuel pointing far over, ahead and to the left. From in between the trees, Ratchet could barely make out what exactly she was pointing at. But soon enough, their run took them to a break in the trees where they stopped and Diminuel showed Ratchet what exactly she wanted him to see.

"The Crolnan village," she explained. "Your friends are already there, waiting for you." Together, they stood on a hill overlooking the village proper, hidden behind monolithic walls that surrounded it, to which the farmland rested beneath its shadow. The other Crolnan looked like little miniature dots to Ratchet as his gaze swept across the scenery below him. He returned his sight toward the village, scanning its many buildings and dusty roads.

"Nice place you have here," Ratchet said aloud, turning to face Diminuel. She too turned to face Ratchet and nodded slightly. "Thank you," she replied. "Now come on, I'm sure your friends will want to see you."

Together, they began down the hill again, sun shining high above as they reached the village farmlands. Many Crolnan greeted them variously before they returned to their work. Ratchet took in the sights. Each Crolnan he saw—be it man, woman, or child—each one was a nigh-carbon copy of the Fongoids back in Polaris. Ratchet thought about it, wondering if the 'elder' that Diminuel spoke of could answer that. From far off, a shout sounded. Ratchet looked for the source and witnessed three Crolnan working at the gate. Diminuel was standing at the entrance, also watching the other Crolnan work.

Ratchet quickly ran over and joined her as the gate moved aside, allowing passage for the two guests. "Where are Clank and Terin?" He inquired, crossing into the village, unable to see them among the roads.

"In the temple. We're almost there."

 _ **R &C**_

Their ships arrived smoothly out of hyperspace. At first glance, nothing seemed off about Tempalo, but once they traveled for a bit, the true reality behind this seemingly empty galaxy began to set in.

It all began once they met Liege. Once they acquired coordinates from the cragmite himself, the remains of Balloch's fleet met up with Liege's own fleet. (Which was smaller than Balloch's was pre-Raynarn.) Dornavan stood next to the Fell-Enk commander as Liege came aboard their ship with a company of his closest officers and best soldiers.

Under Liege were few officers, but the leader of them was another Fell-Enk by the name of Maseox. Though the two Fell-Enk weren't dissimilar in build and facial structure, when compared to the regal outfit which clothed the mighty Balloch, Maseox was donned in a full-body black commando armor. Yet both were able men who earned their place among the rank and file.

They greeted each other in a manner the Ribunis found odd. They shook hands using their right hand, and with the left hand, positioned them until they were crossing over the clasped hand and mere millicubits from the other's cheek. Then, their left hands slapped the other. Neither commander seemed to feel the simple attack. Then they lowered their left hand and gave one last shake to finish the greeting.

"It's good to see you again," Balloch said first, breaking the silence that pervaded the landing bay. "Ready to secure Travel The Days?"

"Of course," Maseox replied with contempt, in a pitch higher than Dornavan believed the commander would have. "It's time to rekindle that old alliance and forge a new empire across the universe."

"Q lir thrin," Liege spoke from behind them. Dornavan saw that the cragmite was still wearing his heavy brown cloak about him—although the mage would admit that wanting to hide his identity anymore seemed at this point ridiculous. Both commanders nodded briskly to Liege's statement and that was when it happened. At first, Dornavan heard faint whirring, like helicopter blades picking up speed. He shook his head and shifted his weight on to his other foot, thinking that he was standing on it for too long. That seemed to fix the problem and Dornavan continued to listen to Liege, Balloch, Maseox, and the other officers discuss their next course of movement.

The next odd happening was a few minutes later when Liege asked about their captures.

Pleased, Dornavan led the way to the prison deck with the Cragmite and two Fell-Enk in tow. They first arrived where Talwyn was being held. Entering into an adjacent room, they were met by a large computer monitor, manned by a solitary trooper. He turned and saluted once he saw that it was them.

"At ease," Balloch was quick to say. "How goes our markazian?"

"She's fine. Just bored. See for yourself," the trooper pushed his seat to the side, allowing the small group to watch the screen. There Talwyn was, lying down on a bed, pretending to throw an imaginary object into the air and catching it as it came down, only to repeat the process. Some officers and soldiers sniggered behind the primary group of four.

"Allow me," Dornavan said to the others, stepping up to the console. He pressed a button, opening a channel between them and her. "Hello, Talwyn."

She stopped her game and sat up, looking up around her. She gave up once she realized she couldn't see anything. Her head lowered and she returned the mage's greeting with a minute amount of positivity.

"You don't sound all to well. Bored?" Dornavan proceeded next.

"Yep," Talwyn returned, placing her elbows on her knees and her head on her hands. "It's just me and this imaginary ball. And before you ask… he doesn't have a name."

"But it has a gender," Balloch spoke up from behind, a tight curl of a smile forming on his face. Talwyn made a dramatic case of exhaling, flatly annoyed at the Fell-Enk commander.

"Well, you try being in here for as long as I have," she retorted, laying down again. "Give me a break."

"Nx," Liege spoke up, alerting Talwyn to his presence. She froze on the bed. They could see her eyes grow wide at the cragmite's statement.

"Liege," she said no louder than a whisper.

"Yx, uro ura Q."

Talwyn regained her composure and posed a question, giving it a sarcastic, biting air. "How many lombaxes does it take to kill a cragmite?"

"Kollux," Liege answered, satisfied that the markazian could make no smart reply. Talwyn must have known that because she looked toward the door. The video barely picked up what she muttered under her breath.

"That was cold," Maseox said, impressed.

"Who's that?"

"Miss Apogee, as you now know, we've met up with Liege, meaning we are now in Tempalo. This here is Maseox, another officer serving directly under and with Liege," Balloch introduced, allowing for Maseox to step up to the mic. He turned it down. "Just know that I'll be finding your friends soon enough," he announced.

"They'll stop you. Just like Tachyon was." A lively faith animated those words, much to Liege's displeasure. He pushed Dornavan out of the way and, with a claw tip, pressed the 'on' button for the mic firmly. "Gen fuml thrin-ra kramtak de indlex ri kaam."

Talwyn didn't know better. But she looked up and said one word: "Try."

Liege removed his claw from the 'on' button and destroyed the mic with his pincers.

"That was interesting," Maseox voiced, exchanging looks around the group. "How about we visit that psychic I've heard so much about?"

"A good idea," Balloch answered. "Follow me."

They all left, all except the mage. "Do you hear that?" He asked, not realizing that he posed the query aloud. The trooper managing Talwyn's prison cell answered him negatively. Dornavan looked behind him, facing the trooper. "What did you say?"

"I was answering your question. I heard nothing."

Beneath his mask, the mage's face contorted in confusion. "I asked something?"

"Indeed you did, just as soon as everyone left," the trooper answered, gesturing to the door with a hand. Dornavan looked toward the door and back at the trooper with haste. Before the mage could ask another question, the trooper anticipated and answered it. "They went to the psychic's cell."

"Thank you."

Dornavan left immediately after.

* * *

After witnessing the cell proper where the psychic was kept, Maseox and others whistled at the impressive display which kept the psychic bound. Liege, however, was more stone-faced as he walked forward, taking a long, hard look at the monitors. Several personnel were wary of the cragmite's intimidating presence. Dornavan arrived and stood by the two Fell-Enk commanders, listening in to their conversation.

"So," Maseox began, elbowing Balloch. "You do this?" The cocky smile gave away plainly the answer. He knew of the agents Balloch employed to assist him in dispatching the Travelers: two weapon experts, one skilled fighter, and a mage with a bone to pick against the psychic. Balloch chuckled, humored to say the least. "No, I did not," he gestured to Dornavan. "That was him."

"Hmm, shame on you. What did you do then, stay in your ship playing 'Big Bad Boss'?"

"I removed the Raynarn Defense Force from the equation."

"And yet they still gave you quite a thrashing."

"Unfortunate yes, yet I still did something. What have you done?"

Maseox pretended to yawn, cocky attitude in full bloom for he knew exactly where Balloch was going with this question. "Nothing yet. Although I will soon be leading a ground force on Jenavi to secure the last three Travelers."

"So you've said."

While the two commanders continued their discussion/mocking, Dornavan moved to where Liege was and stared at the monitor the cragmite himself had given his attention to. He announced his presence by clearing his throat.

"Dornavan, cal dook di mar?"

The mage cleared his throat again. "I'm afraid I don't speak Cragmite, sir."

Seamlessly and without pause, Liege moved a hand beneath his cloak and did something Dornavan couldn't see. After Liege removed his hand, he repeated his query, this time static translated his question into Galactic Standard.

"Oh," Dornavan said flatly. "Preparation and a lot of luck."

"Thrin cantirux." The static announced its translation.

"Seems that way. I'm not sure what to think now."

"Da mar di?"

"It began rather recently, but the first brush of my current trouble started after I got back from that strange place with Dr. Yolnan."

Liege remained silent, now lifting his gaze to the human trapped behind the window.

"Long story short, we were able to escape through a failed idea of mine. It led to me meeting this being who went by the name of Code."

Liege turned his head toward Dornavan, black beady eyes bored into Dornavan's blank mask.

"Apparently, Code gave me a disk that allowed me, then myself and Dr. Yolnan to escape from the 'contaminated zone', as he put it."

"Thran Code, desziel uro."

Dornavan weighed the question. It was interesting to say the least. What was it to Liege that some lucky crossing happened to turn several things in their favor. Although no matter how much or how hard Dornavan tried to forget about it, his thoughts came back to the chance meeting, stronger than before. It was no accident that it happened. That much Dornavan was sure of. And Liege gave off an aura of distrust as Dornavan continued his tale, as if the cragmite didn't believe what the Ribunis said.

Dornavan sighed. Too many things were happening and nothing was making sense. Hopefully, this approaching lull would be what they needed to get their heads straight and nerves calmed. Although he believed that was hoping against hope; he knew this lull would only put them on edge more than ever before.

"Code is no ordinary being," Dornavan began. "Tall, gaunt, paper-thin actually. Code's entire composition is nothing but—gaah!" Instantly, Dornavan's hands went to his head. The sudden outburst caught the two Fell-Enk's attention. Stopping their discussion, they turned to the mage who shrieked in pain. His knees quickly buckled and he fell on his knees, hand aglow in white, milky coloring.

"Get a doctor down here, now!" Balloch commanded as he rushed over to the mage's side. Someone complied and quickly called up to the medbay, requesting immediate medical assistance. He moved to pick up the mage off the ground when another ear-piercing cry sounded from the downed Ribunis. As his hand reached forward to grab a hold of Dornavan, an electroshock ripped across the air from Dornavan to Balloch, blasting him in the air. He fell on his back as he skidded over to the wall, dazed. Dornavan screamed again in total agony, falling to the floor with many stuttering cries.

Realizing the severe dire this situation was escalating to, Liege and Maseox rushed over to Dornavan's side. As they edged closer, Dornavan's magic began to spike erratically, throwing more bolts of lightning across the room. Technicians and other ship personnel panicked and ducked for cover. The lightning arced over to the monitors, frying them all from overload. Popping, cracking, splitting sounds added to the overall cacophony of noise as both Liege and Maseox grabbed hold of Dornavan. Magic poured into both of them and Maseox too, like Balloch, was cast away. Liege however, once placing a hand on the mage, stood frozen in place.

A vision lashed out at the mind of the cragmite.

 _Within total blackness, Liege drifted. He looked around him._ _N_ _othing but darkness greet_ _ed_ _him._ _Rising_ _p_ _anic swarmed his thoughts._ _He was_ _a_ _lone in_ _this_ _oblivion. Or so he thought. White lines within the blackness appeared, forming into a solitary_ _rectangular_ _shape. Liege stared at the rectangle, fear_ _and defiance_ _vying to overtake_ _him._

 _"Liege," a voice emanated from the shape. Two slits appeared in the rectangle, dim blue filling the holes it made. The being's voice came from everywhere. Hollow, mechanical and unreal. The cragmite trembled beneath its sight._

 _"Who… who are—" Sudden dawning reached his thoughts. "Code?" Liege asked weakly._

 _A white line of the being curled up in a malevolent smile. "Someone you'll meet soon enough."_

 _The being faded away, leaving the cragmite completely alone._ _F_ _rom behind, a chuffing noise reached Liege's ears. He turned and could see nothing, yet the noise grew louder. In a moment, the chuffing reached deafening heights, as if it were on top of him, and in that moment, Liege was thrown out of his vision._

In reality, the chuffing noise was an approaching sonicboom which emanated from Dornavan, knocking Liege through the air. He collided hard against the wall, sliding off pathetically as he came into contact with the cold floor. His vision swam with blurry images, the resonance of the boom drowning out all other sound, making him temporarily deaf. As he struggled against the encroaching unconsciousness, he made out doctors entering the room, taking in the total destruction before moving to the injured parties.

 _No one came to him before he went under._

* * *

 **AN: (3-26-18) Edited.**

 **Would you believe that I originally didn't supply translations because I had no clue how to translate English to Cragmite at the time? My brain was so over-worked from rushing out this chapter when I first posted it all that time ago. Then I looked back and totally forgot to add translations... I just thought: "Screw it. No translations for you guys." I'd like to apologize for that. In any case,** **translations are as follows:**

 **"Q lir thrin." = "I like that."**

 **"Yx, uro ura Q." = "Yes, it is I."**

 **"Kollux." = "Zero."**

 **"Gen fuml thrin-ra akramtak de indlex ri kaam." = "Just know that's a mistake we intend to correct."**

 **"Cal dook di mar thran?" = "How did you do this?"**

 **"Thrin-ra cantirux." = "That's contradiction."**

 **"Da mar di vii?" = "What do you mean?"**

 **"Thran Code, desziel uro." = "This Code, explain it."**


	27. We Need To Know

Across the way, trapped in a cell, Talwyn wasn't faring much better. To keep boredom at bay, she took to counting the footsteps that passed by her cell. Before now, she hadn't noticed exactly how plentiful they were, but with her enemies united in Tempalo, she surmised that everyone must be preparing to find Ratchet, Clank, and Terin. But beside that first visit from Dornavan and the greeting from over the speaker, everyone seemed to have forgotten her.

She took it for a good thing, allowing her time to think on a way of escape. Yet no matter how many scenarios she made, they all ended in failure. Alone she was outnumbered, unable to compete with the sheer volume of enemies aboard the cruiser. If by some miracle she was able to get to Nathaniel and free him, that would help, knowing he took down threats that she or the others couldn't. Even if outnumbered a hundred to one the psychic would simply laugh and easily brush them aside with a blast of psychic energy.

Even then, there was Dornavan. He **beat** Nathaniel... somehow. So say she did get to Nathaniel and release him, they still had the mage to take care of. And no matter how many scenarios she played out of **that** event, those all ended the same way too.

That only left Ratchet, Clank, and Terin to do something. But those thoughts diverged into two paths: either they try and mount a rescue mission or go straight for Travel The Days. If they mounted a rescue, they could easily be captured and that would be the end of it. If they decided that Travel The Days was more pressing and, in the event of success, rewrite time so that this never happened...

It was something she could accept.

She shuddered, her thoughts filled with images of Merdegraw, when ghost pirates suddenly appeared around her, brandishing their phantasmal cutlasses and Combustors, their haunting laughter echoing across the cave. She started to run away, almost crashing into Ratchet as she noticed almost too late his running toward her. Together, they left the cave and Captain Darkwater's tomb, making their way back to Hoolefoid Island by boat. On the way back, Ratchet confessed to have almost forgotten her in the ensueing chaos, but at the last moment, he remembered his promise and turned back. She thanked him for it all, both the honesty and the rescue. Ratchet smiled and nodded, his expression turning somber and his gaze into steel as he stared toward Hoolefoid Island. He noted that soon, Captain Slag would mount an assault and that they would have to defend the island.

The memory faded to the back of her mind as her thoughts arrived in reality again, where she found herself pacing the room. In truth, she had no idea whether or not Ratchet, Clank, and Terin were safe or even have found the Crolnan, and it filled her insides with an uneasiness akin to dread. Trying to keep calm, she exhaled, turning it into a long whistle at the end. The turmoil persisted still, yet despite it, intuition told her that things were reaching a head fast and she would have to be ready for whatever comes.

Whenever that may be.

 _ **R &C**_

The steps were plenty, but never truly gave way in height. Even though free to roam again, Ratchet couldn't help but sigh in relief, thinking that the climb up to the temple would be like the one on Quantos. However, once he layed eyes on it, that thought perished, leaving the lombax to sweep his sight over the building.

Like everything else here, stone was its primary building material, tinged with a light, opaque gold. The stairs stretched across the temple front, coming to an end as it was about to round the corner. The walls rose to a tip, forming a triangle roof, to which it extended beyond the perimeter of the walls itself, casting shade on the temple front. Ratchet placed a foot on the first step and looked up, veridian gaze meeting a wide, circular door. It was open, allowing for view inside the temple. However, as he began his ascent up the stairs, two figures walked out of the door.

One was tall and the other was short. Both wore a coat of silver—fur and shine respectively.

"Welcome Ratchet," the tall one greeted, producing a toothy grin. The short, silver figure greeted Ratchet in a similar fashion, smiling wide as the other figure did. In response, Ratchet darted up the short flight and once at the top, he dropped on his knees and skid across the stone, grabbing his best friend as he came to a stop. He pulled in and wrapped the robot in a tight hug.

"Am I glad to see you Clank," Ratchet returned in relief. Clank, constricted of all movement, still managed to return the sentiment through his words. "You too, Ratchet."

They separated, but still holding the Zoni at arm's length, the golden lombax began to inspect his friend, all the while asking, "Are you okay? No damage anywhere?"

"I am running at full capacity Ratchet," Clank assured confidently.

He let go of Clank and sat himself down. "That's good to hear."

Ratchet chuckled, shaking his head with a smile as he continued. "You wake up one morning in a strange place, find that your friends are gone, and the next thing you do is start worrying."

"That's normal. But I can see the Keliop leaf is working," Terin replied. Ratchet looked up to see the other lombax offer a hand. He took it and held it firmly.

"You know about that?" He asked as he was pulled up quickly, watching as Terin simply bent his elbow to pull the lombax up.

"That's some strength," Ratchet remarked earning a verbal 'thanks' from Terin. He then saw Terin shaking his hand as if it were in pain.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing really," Terin replied between his teeth. "That endoskeleton seems to be working as well."

"It does. Although it only seems to be working now. Sorry about that."

"That's okay. You haven't been moving a whole lot, so maybe it just never had a chance to amplify your natural strength and other capabilities."

Ratchet shrugged. Now that his endoskeleton was working, Ratchet would have to be more cautious, try to be more gentle than normal.

"Now that we know everyone to be okay," Clank began, grabbing the lombaxes' attention. "Diminuel says we should be heading inside."

"Alright pal, lead the way," Ratchet replied, following Clank as he and Diminuel walked toward the open temple door. Terin brought up the rear.

Inside the temple, so unlike the gold coloring outside, inside was a light gray. The stone was visibly smooth and without cracks. Two rows of six pillars ran down the temple length, seemlessly melding into floor and ceiling, as if the entire inside was built around those pillars. Each pillar was etched with varied line designs, to which no name could be given, forming indecipherable yet beautiful patterns. Between each pillar, an oval window lie, constructed like a mosaic. The colored glass cast a plethora of color onto the stone, brightening the interior. They continued down the aisle, noting the single row of chandeliers hanging above them—plain black and shaped like a deep bowl. If they were for interior lighting, no Traveler could deduce what could start a light in them.

Yet, as the three of them would soon find out, that was all the decorum inside, until they faced the front and found the most impressive part of all to be at the very back. It was there that an ornate altar stood, draped in thick green and sky blue cloth with jeweled embroidery stitched onto and around the sides, pining the cloth where it lie. In front of the altar, a solitary figure, covered in a shawl of white, was kneeling on the steps in front of the altar. Diminuel, in her plain green dress, stood a few paces to his left, at the bottom of the small steps.

Of the mystery figure—beside the shawl—all they could see were two rather large, light blue horns, melding into one as it fell down his back, ending halfway. But what truly astounded them all was what stood beyond the figure and the altar. Carved from bronze-like material, tall and elegant beneath the colored lights, two figures stood. In an irony of contrast, the Travelers recognised the alien figure first: three fingered, stubby body, wide head, and tiny feet; the figure was none other than Clank's father, Orvus. The other figure looked nearly identical to the psychic—but that was all the Travelers knew about it.

In the hands of the Orvus statue was an object apiece. His right hand held the Chronoscepter. His left hand held a miniature of The Great Clock. In his face was a kind smile and his eyes held a wonderful cheeriness. It gave the statue a welcoming aura, despite its giant size.

On the other side stood the human-like statue. However, nothing warm or cheery could be read in the demeanor of the unknown man. Yet, this statue didn't give off an aura of coldness, just simply an aura of silence, as if this person was so very much kin to the stone from which he was crafted. Likewise to Orvus, in each hand rested an object. On his right hand, a sphere, and on his left hand, a cube.

"Travelers," a ghastly, aged voice spoke. "Welcome to Jenavi." His words were terribly slow, each syllable crawling forth from his mouth. But it captured their attention as Ratchet, Clank, and Terin watched him stand up. He reached across the altar for something, which was revealed to be a staff as he turned around to face the Travelers. From beneath the shawl, only his face was revealed, an acute mix between purple and light green, with white markings that skimmed across his cheeks and forehead. Wrinkles etched age onto his face, around his eyes and creased into his head. Small black pupils met each green and crimson gaze it fell upon.

After the silent exchange, he turned to Diminuel and spoke to her. "Thank you my child. Go find Gunak and Ulthrin. Tell them to visit the Astronomer and help him ready for our arrival. Go with them as well. We will be awhile."

The gentle command was met with the same gentle compliance. After responding, Diminuel bowed respectfully and left the temple, her steps echoing off the walls until she was clear outside.

"It is good to finally meet you at last, after eons of waiting. And even then, it seems that your full company is not here."

"Yeah, we left Talwyn and Nathaniel behind. They were meant to buy us time. I just don't know if they succeeded or not." Ratchet's ears fell as he finished the first sentence and his tone slowly fell into a whisper with each word beyond that first end.

Clank took a step forward, understanding that his friend could say no more. "Because of this, if you could help us with finding Travel The Days, that would be most appreciated."

The elder smiled. "You are in luck. I can help you find Travel The Days, but first—" He raised his staff in the air, then sent it crashing down with a terrific slam. Its echoes forced the lombaxes to cover their ears while Clank dialed down his audio receptors. At first, nothing happened. Then suddenly, great screeching filled the hall and the two statues turned away, slowly facing the walls with each passing second. That accomplished, a circular door of rock was revealed. The elder turned around and leveled his staff over the altar, crystal pointing straight at the door. The crystal began to illuminate, pulsating softly and quietly humming.

"Ha!" His other hand shot forth, unleashing a beam of quantum energy. Upon impact, the door began to fade away, revealing a cave mouth.

"Whoa," Terin breathed. "That was cool."

"Agreed," Ratchet added.

"What is down there?" Clank questioned, sharing to a smaller degree his friends' surprise.

"Somewhere you need to go. Now, if you will follow me, I will explain everything along the way."

The elder moved around the altar and headed for the entrance. The Travelers followed him likewise into the cave. The inside was cool, comfortably tight, and the path winded down gently. The cave's width still allowed for Ratchet, Clank, and Terin to walk side-by-side freely. Any question of the cave darkening along the way was dispelled by the stong, consistent glow of the elder's staff.

"If my friends don't mind," Terin began. "I'd like to ask the first question."

"Go ahead," the elder replied calmly. "They're just as curious as you are. But first, my name: Dol Gruun, Elder and Chief of the Crolnan."

"Well then, Elder Gruun," Terin began respectfully. "What are the Crolnan? How close are you in relation to the Fongoids?"

The elder exhaled, eeriely sounding like laughter to the lombaxes. Yet, it reminded them both of a sorry sort, a kind of laughter that revealed how deep the query went, silently answering for Dol. He exchanged hands on his staff, then spoke aloud, "Do the three of you promise not to speak for the next few minutes? What I am about to tell you will be hard to swallow, but swallow it you must. Understood?"

"Sure," Terin said immeadiately, firm and confident.

"Okay," Ratchet followed after pause, revealing an edge of worry to be present.

Clank simply nodded, his processors whirring with theories regarding the command.

"Good. To put it simply, we are Fongoids. _Were_ , however, would be more accurate. You see, in order to begin, you must understand that back then, there were no Crolnan, only Fongoids. And the Fongoids you know of today are nothing compared to what we once were. And even we were barred from our great legacy. With that, the day we recieved the gift of time travel, we were ecstatic. We were like the very beings we worshipped, able to traverse the very streams of time into anywhere we wanted. Nothing was denied to us now."

"But just because you're **like** someone doesn't mean you **are** that someone. The way we traveled through time was vastly different than the way the Zoni did. Through our overly abundant use of time travel we put existence on the brink, and yet, that wasn't the end. After the Great Clock sealed the wound we opened, a new being rose from the healing. We call him Cthruis. You know of him as the Agent of Time."

"He gathered every Fongoid during the course of those three thousand years—then judging between the gravity of our usage of time travel—he transformed particular Fongoids into Crolnan, assigning us our duties based on what we had done. For instance, take Diminuel. A very kind girl who from a young age wanted to learn all there was to know about medicine so that she could help others. But despite our very best technology, we could neither cure every sickness nor cure every disease. So as the years went by, she used time travel to make many alternate timelines, each where she tested and experimented with different plant extracts, intent on solving every known problem."

Dol stopped. The Travelers followed suit. None of them could hide their surprise. But they each followed Elder Gruun's request and kept quiet.

"You may call such an event unjust, but answer me this: Why would Orvus gift an entire race of people something that could destroy all existence?"

No one could reply. But it didn't stop them from thinking up a good reason. At last, with exchanged looks deflated at learning the other's inability to come up with an answer, Dol broke the silence again.

"Don't feel bad that you can't. Just understand that time travel is something not to be toyed with."

It was here that he turned to the side, raising his right arm up, exposing a sapphire tunic underneath. With his left hand, he came around and pulled the tunic aside, exposing bare skin. It wasn't purple as was the norm for Fongoids, it was instead an icky, pallid green that was unpleasant to look at. Elder Gruun released the tunic and lowered his arm, then turned his face to the Travelers.

"What you saw was the mark of the Crolnan. Every member of our people possesses one. I recieved mine when I made the penultimate move and tried to undo the damage we were dealing. I understood how freely and how openly we were flaunting our gift, using it for every little thing that wasn't right in our world. In only three thousand short years, we had become shadows of our former selves. Disgusted with it, I made the decision to go back and stop everyone else from using time travel."

"My father gave you time travel to enrich your lives!" Clank interjected. Everyone looked to the small Zoni warbot. The three saw his eyes bright and expression adamant. "I am sorry but I cannot believe you when you tell me that this! You—" Clank's servos began to shake, and a faint whirring became percievable in the air around them. Ratchet immeadiately got down on one knee and placed a hand on his pal's shoulder. "Hey, C—"

Clank plowed through Ratchet's sentence, both visibly and audibly angry. "For this, you were turned into the Crolnan? For something you could not foresee happening?"

"That is the truth of the matter," Dol replied solemnly, narrowing his black pupils at Clank. Perceiving the tension, Ratchet got up and stepped in front of Clank. The Crolnan leader stopped and turned away, giving a heavy sigh which was accompanied by the following: "I told you it wouldn't be easy to swallow, but swallow it you must."

"Say I accept this," Terin began, stepping forward, finding himself in the middle of the group. "What then?"

"To continue from where we left off, Cthruis made me leader of the Crolnan because of that fact. He acknowledged that I understood the crisis we were fast heading toward and placed me as Elder and Chief of the Crolnan for my futile efforts."

"How did you get like that then?"

"Know that when I went back in time, any chance we had of fixing the issue was irrevocable. At my first destination, the first rip in time tore through my body, accelerating the aging of it to this stage, leaving me as the weathered ancient you see standing before you. It also made my speech immensely slow. You'll find a similar problem across all of the Crolnan."

"Back to Cthruis for a moment because I do share my pal's disbelief," Ratchet said, cutting in. "Did Orvus just allow this Cthruis character to judge and deem you guilty for overuse?"

"Ratchet, do you know why Alister called the Zoni: 'The Guardians of Time'?"

"No. But I would assume the answer is obvious."

"Not at all. Say you were tasked with guarding something, do you think that you have the right to give it away?"

"No. But Orvus **gave** away time travel as a gift to the Fongoids."

"Back before they became 'The Guardians of Time'. Before the Great Clock there was no such thing as a 'Guardian Of Time', and there was no Cthruis, either. After its construction, authority over time was given to Cthruis. Orvus and the Zoni were then appointed to watch and guard over time. Along with that, they also lost the right to gift time travel to whoever they saw fit. After time was restored we were judged. And Orvus was left on the sidelines, watching from within his Chamber."

The words were sharp, leaving cuts that burned in the memory of the Travelers. The air was filled again with silence. Elder Gruun still faced away from the three, knowing that they struggled with the revelation. However, he knew that there was still some more walking left to do before they reached the place he wanted to show them. Exhaling, he was ready to tell them they were close when a hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"Troubled, Terin? Yet you still accept this," Dol whispered.

Terin nodded behind him. "I know a thing or two about justice. It can be tough sometimes."

"You were well raised. Your parents would be proud of you."

Terin released his grip and lowered his hand next to him. "Thank you," he returned quietly.

"Now come. We are nearing our destination."

Elder Gruun started off again, followed by Terin. Ratchet looked up as he heard their footsteps. His sight found its way to Clank, who he found looking up at him.

"Ready to go?" Ratchet asked. Clank nodded, his earlier resolution replaced by his more normal self. Yet, looking into the Clank's bright green optics dispelled Ratchet's fears, knowing that although his best friend learned a more, shall we say, darker chapter, in the life of his father, he was dealing with it.

To the lombax, it would be like finding out that Kaden wasn't who he was. That he was more than the Keeper of the Dimensionator and the one who stood up to Tachyon—but not in a good way. For all Ratchet knew of his father, he was a shining figure among his people. "As smart as they come" Alister said of his greatest friend. One who, from what he'd been told, started off very energetic, restless and driven, always wanting to run another adventure, or take another risk, or have another bite out of what life had to offer. To Kaden, life was ripe for the taking.

But, as time went on, Kaden became more reserved, wise, thoughtful. Heck, he even advised Alister that **Tachyon** shouldn't be trusted. Universe knows what were his thoughts on having the Cragmite living among them.

" _Sometimes the universe has a cruel sense of humor._ "

The resigned, yet bitter sound of Azimuth's statement echoed in his thoughts. It was true. Neither he, nor Clank, nor Terin could think of a comeback, a good enough reason as to why Orvus would give something so dangerous away. It made sense that he would give at least some form of warning. But at the same time, what if Orvus **hadn't** known that the Fongoids would be so liberal in their use of time travel. Was it really fair then, that Orvus and the rest of the Zoni be punished, stripped of their right over time and have it handed over to this Cthruis?

According to Elder Gruun, it seemed that Cthruis balanced the judgments fairly enough, passing them only when everything was taken into account. But still, after everything was said and done, wouldn't punishment there have been enough? Was dragging the Zoni into this too much?

"Ratchet," Clank said, pulling the lombax out of his thoughts. "I am okay now. Let us catch up to Terin and Dol."

Ratchet nodded quickly and stood up, facing where the two had gone off. He could still see the blue glow of Dol's staff, so they weren't that far ahead. But the glow was small enough that the green of Clank's optics lit up the cave.

"Okay pal," Ratchet began, gesturing for Clank to go on ahead. "Lead the way."

 _ **R &C**_

The doors opened for two hulking masses as they entered the landing bay. After the ordeal back in the psychic's prison control room, Maseox recovered and quickly took control of the situation, ordering Liege, Dornavan, and Balloch to be brought to the medbay immeadiately. He then called technicians down to check the terminal while he ordered troops to be ready to open fire on the psychic should he awaken without the cryofeed keeping him under. Luckily, he didn't. In addition, when asking for results, the techs said that most of damage done to the terminal was from power surges, frying everything on the board.

"It would take time to repair" they told him.

With that, while the techs worked to repair the damage, Maseox ordered Nathaniel to be taken to a smaller cell, maintaining his unconscious state through the use of a cryogas mask. Accomplished, he ordered troopers to stand guard over the psychic with orders to shoot and kill should he wake again. After that, Maseox headed straight for the medbay, finding Balloch to be testing his shoulder and finding no injuries with it.

"Okay?" Maseox inquired upon entry. Balloch looked up at him and spoke affirmatively, asking about the others.

"The techs say it will take some time to fix the prison terminal system, perhaps hours. I told them that they only get one. Liege and Dornavan are in another room."

"Good. Was that everything?" Balloch asked.

"Yes."

With that, Balloch made his way for the door and Maseox asked where he was going. The first Fell-Enk stated that he was going to make some rounds. "Coming?"

It was a genuine question, but asked with a plain, unassuming air, as if Balloch wouldn't be moved either way. Maseox nodded and followed him out the door and that was how they ended up in the landing bay, flanked by a company of troops. Despite the silence that both wanted to prevade throughout their rounds, one of them could not help but bring the earlier events back into the light.

"What happened back there?"

They walked by some fighters pilots and their spacecraft, acknowledging salutes with brisk nods and calm gestures. The one who was asked struggled to ignore the query. Next, the carriers grabbed their attention and the query's owner let the moment pass in silence.

They would need those soon when they sent their advance force down to the planet.

Acknowledging more salutes, they continued their steady pace around the bay, ending it all by walking up the stairs near the exit. Up on the platform, allowing them to overlook everything, the second figure found it appropriate to answer the first figure's query with one of his own.

"You're asking me?"

The first turned to face the second. "Hmm?"

"'What happened back there'," he quoted, shaking his head. "Couldn't tell you. But something tells me to **tread carefully**."

"Care to elaborate; I know you."

"...Maybe. Although I believe I'm just starting to fathom more than I'm letting on."

"What exactly?"

"Sometime ago, soon before we waged battle with the Raynarn Defense Force, Liege confided in me that he'd a dream where he was on Fastoon. Fastoon at the time of Tachyon's genocide. In it, he began to exectute his plan for preventing the lombaxes from leaving this dimension. However, two lombaxes and one markazian stopped him, actually succeeding in killing him. But get this: one of those lombaxes was Terin Arc."

"What?!" The other hissed in disbelief. "You're telling me now that Liege was given a premonition of future events? How come I wasn't made aware of this?"

"Again, couldn't tell you," the second answered, taking a verbal jab at the other. "But in all honesty, at first I thought no. It was impossible. Now, I'm starting to think otherwise. At the time we both agreed to say it was just wound nerves and that we were done with it. But with another random event on our hands..."

He shook his head. "It could **kill** us if we don't consider every option."

"Since when has mortality concerned you?"

"Since now."

The first striked a stance, with arms across the chest—the obvious skeptic. "Anything else happen in this so called 'vision' then?" The second stayed mute for a moment, recollecting all Liege had told him about the strange premonition.

"He told me what happened as he lay there dying. He said he saw a being in the darkness of oblivion, various lengths of white lines combined to form a horrific being, tall and gaunt, whose voice was both unnatural and unreal. It easily scared Liege and then proceeded to boot him out, saying that 'You will see me soon. In the meantime, learn from your mistakes.'."

"That's interesting. But what exactly **are** you 'starting to fathom'?"

"Dornavan. Back before any of this happened, back when I believed my greatest concern to be the Travelers themselves, and before the Raynarn Defense Force—though I had prepared for that eventuallity—I had the good Dr. Yolnik construct a suit he dubbed the 'Aeon Remover'. Before that battle though, Dr. Yolnik disappeared while trying to make it work, as had most of his lab, when Dornavan and I went to check after he contacted us."

"His disappearence must of just occurred for, after using his magic, Dornavan came up with what I took to be fresh residue. But it reacted with his magic and he too vanished from the lab, and I was left to wonder what just happened. To cut out the unnessecary details, Dornavan found Dr. Yolnik and together they left, but not before meeting up with this character who Dornavan said called himself Code."

The first nodded attentively.

"The thing is, the way Dornavan descibed him, it makes his and Liege's description match up. Plus—although this may have no bearing on our situation—the Aeon Remover is out of commission and no one can get it working again!"

"What happened to it? Did Code talk to you as well?"

The second shook his head, letting pass the mocking tone of the query. "I don't know."

The first didn't reply, only letting out a small breath, turning out toward the bay. They watched for some time as people came and went, small talk the order of the day. For them, they were soldiers following their officers into battle. And with how everything stacked up, either of the officers surmised that things were in their favor. But the joy in such knowledge had been sucked out, leaving the second figure's words lingering in the air.

A yawn brought both of them out of their thoughts.

"Tired?" The first one inquired.

"I am," the second replied.

"Take rest. I'll lead the fleet until either you or Liege wake."

"Understood. Take care."

The second figure turned away from the bay, and headed back deeper into the ship, moving for their quarters.

 _ **R &C**_

The roaring of gushing water fastidiously held their attention. Elder Grunn stated that they were nearing their destination.

"Prepare yourselves. This will be another sight to behold."

The only light to be seen was the glow of staff and eyes as the company of four descended deeper into the cave. Then suddenly, Dol stopped walking. Quick reflexes on the part of the Travelers prevented any bumping, but they were curious as to why Elder Gruun stopped. They watched him raise his staff, slowly waving it around him. When the staff was near the ground, they all could see that there was no ground in front of them, only a gaping hole which was the source of the deafening gush.

"We're here," Dol announced, returning his staff next to him. The four of them could see no end through the shining blue. The Travelers surmised that they reached a chasm. What lie beyond was a mystery they believed would soon be revealed. Elder Gruun raised a hand into the air, summoning swirling wisps of quantum energy that danced around it. He began to twitch his fingers and the wisps reacted with the movement, blinking in and out of sight as the Crolnan elder began to drift his hand across the air above his head. Suddenly, his scepter shifted hue into a lighter blue, almost converting to a full white.

The vigor of the light multiplied, and the Travelers started to squint against the rising luminesence. But they could see Dol grab hold of his scepter with both hands. The staff took on a pure cyan color with a pure white crystal center. He spun it in the air above him, slowly weaving a motion as he manuevered the head of the staff downward. With a grunt of effort, Elder Gruun sent the staff into the water, and at once, the gushing stopped.

There was only silence... stunned or otherwise.

It continued as Elder Gruun raised his staff out of the water and returned it horizontal to his side. With another grunt, he cast the staff out of the his grip into the darkness, the selfsame light retreating as the glowing article flew true through the pitch. The four of them could still see a faint, discernable glow when a thud reached their ears.

"Wha—"

Terin was cut short as chasm exploded in light. Everyone but Dol shielded their eyes, keeping the protection up for many moments while the light began to subside.

"You may open," Gruun said after some time. The three of them obeyed and beheld the truth of the Crolnan's earlier words. They stood on a cliff, overlooking an underground grotto. At its edge stood a tower. Cold, black-gray, and triangular, it stood silent amidst the picture perfect green. The water had turned out to be a waterfall, and although still, following its course revealed the water to enclose the grotto before turning off into two directions, presumably heading deeper into the cave. All around them were red, rocky faces in an expansive, rough, ellispical shape that stretched onward.

"This is unbelieveable!" Ratchet burst, looking to the others. The other Travelers unanimously agreed on the spoken thought. "What is this place?"

"This is the first of the three towers needed to bring Kranis back to our time," Elder Gruun answered solemnly. "Hizora-Thren: the tower which stands in the beginning."

"Do you mean that the three towers each represent one of the three facets of time?" Clank inquired.

"Yes."

Dol waited some more before he spoke again, taking on a more natural tone, "Each of those towers utilizes their respective representation to put whoever enters under one test. From there you must make your decision and move forward. A word of advice: once you enter, _don't_ tarry."

"What do you mean, 'once you enter'?" It was Ratchet now. His words were edged with distrust. Understandable, Dol reasoned, but to come all this way to back out now. He shook his head methodically, raising his hand toward the tower.

"To me."

In the stillness that followed, the elder took the time to answer the lombax's question. "You are on a clock to accomplish the test. Failure to move will exile you from this timeline. You will turn into the wanderers who now guard Travel The Days."

Once Dol finished, his staff materialized in his hand and suddenly, darkness flooded the area, beaten back only by the blue glow of staff and green glow of optics.

"Cthruis took no chances then?" Terin spoke up, squinting against the sudden brightness shift.

"He did not. But he didn't make it difficult either." With that, Elder Gruun turned around and began making headway back up the cave.

"Where are you going? Should we not be going down there to accomplish the test?" Clank asked, placing a surprising emphasis on the way he asked it. The lombaxes looked between the Zoni robot and Crolnan, watching as Dol didn't stop, nor did he answer the query in a straightforward manner. "We're done here" was all they recieved. As the Travelers watched him leave, leaving the darkness beaten back by a brilliant green, Ratchet kneeled down next to Clank and set a hand on his shoulder.

"Normally pal, our roles would be reversed. In fact, they were once. But, I want to hear what you have to say. Are you still willing to go through with this?"

Clank remained silent. Ratchet looked up at Terin. "What do you think?"

Terin sighed, opening and closing his hands as he turned to face the lombax and Zoni, squatting down to meet them eye-level.

"I think we still need to finish what we started. At least I will..." Terin let his words drift off after that, and Ratchet only captured the beginning of a question directed at him and Clank. Ratchet nodded affirmatively, saying that it all depended on what Clank wanted to do.

"Do not have your will contingent on my own, Ratchet," Clank began. "If you still wish to bring the lombaxes back home, I will stand by you."

"Thanks pal, but this isn't the Dimensionator. This is Travel The Days. This is a little more up **your** alley."

Terin chuckled at that. "Well said."

Ratchet, despite smiling faintly, leveled a cool stare at the silver lombax.

"I'm sure your father did all he could," Ratchet resumed, returning his gaze to Clank.

"But **did** he? That concept never occured to me, Ratchet. And now, here we are. Here **I** am. Left to come to terms with it. Did my father do all he could? Did he know that the Fongoids would misuse time travel? **Did he**?"

Ratchet and Terin heard the anxious, rising panic that came from the Zoni. Still, they knew they could do nothing to truly help.

But one of them still answered. "Look pal, this is obviously something bigger than us. And maybe one day we'll discover the truth of the matter. But for right now, the past is what it is. So let's just take this one step at a time, starting with catching up to Dol."

"He may be slow in speech but he's no snail in movement," Terin said, earning the verbal acknowledgments of the galactic duo.

"Let us go then."

With that, the lombaxes stood up and followed the Zoni as he shone their way back up the cave.

 _ **R &C**_

His body was numb. His mind hazy. Adrift across the vast silence and psychic energies, Nathaniel spun lazily around the confines of his consciousness. The heavy cryogas was definitely doing its thing, but Nathaniel had a little something extra when it came to things like this: the Leviathan. In his mind, wherever Nathaniel went, Leviathan was around him, coiling his phantom body like a giant snake, shielding him from most of the drugging effects of the gas. Plus—though it accounted for almost nothing—with the small amount of training he'd recieved from Kard in resisting such ilk, it allowed the psychic to maintain conscious thought.

Through the use of Clairovoyance, Nathaniel became aware that he'd been moved from his prison sphere to another, much smaller cell, kept under through the use of a gasmask. This garnered both good and bad news. The good news about this was that he was moved closer to Talwyn, and was possibly in range to engage telepathic contact with her. But that led to the bad news. Using such psychic abilities fuddled his thinking and fogged up his mind. The creeping, drugging effects of the cryogas would slowly work its way to smother the psychic if he did anything haphazardly.

" _Dornavan...call...rematch...get...out._ "

Though incomplete, the thought was full of bitten back anger. Unwanting to let the emotion cloud his mind—the sole thing he had working for him—he silenced himself, allowing for his mind to sort itself out. During it, a thought came to him. Blurry, the psychic couldn't pick out the details too well, and the audio was muddled beyond comprehension. Something about it however poked familiar with the psychic. Inside his mind he blinked, then shook his head, trying to focus the image. But it refused to clear.

" _Foggy,_ " the psychic, disgruntled, thought out loud.

It took a moment for the word to clear itself out, its revebrations dispersing the gas. But once it did, Nathaniel noticed the image clear. It was only a fraction, however. But he noticed the thought shift in color and sound.

" _Replaying...itself._ "

Nathaniel smiled, for in the refresh, the thought became sharper and the words that he couldn't understand filled his head, clearer than before. But he had no trouble remembering what it was just the same. It was back at the Igliak Detention Center. He'd just powered down after Terin convinced him not to kill Jornik. Together, they left the room and Ratchet really let him have it, point blank telling the psychic that he could never lose it like that again. Although quite friendly in general, make Nathaniel mad, and he will let you have it! Sure, thanks to Terin, he cooled down, but he had made quite the display of his own might.

And Ratchet still commanded him, to his face, that he would leave if the psychic lost it like that again.

Nathaniel understood the reason too. Ratchet was still tentative on going. If the lombaxes were to be brought home again, everyone was going to have to be calm. No anger or sadness. No grief or hatred. Everything connected to the lombaxes started or ended with those emotions. Ratchet lost too many things because of them. And thanks to that little speech the psychic received, he found it to ground him here.

As those words reverbrated though his mind, it helped him gather whatever focus he could muster. Right now, something spectacular was needed. Also, he didn't know the fates of his friends, so Nathaniel took it upon himself to break out and finish what he started on Alnek: kicking butt and taking names.

His two favorite things ever, even though they were one in the same. (Just don't make a point out of it.) Failing on Alnek was a disaster to be certain but the psychic would bounce back.

" _You can't lose it like that, ever!_ " The command flowed through his conscious, serving as fuel. It would take time, but he would try to get into contact with Talwyn. Until then, he would just have to be paitent and wait.

And if something goes wrong...

 _ **R &C**_

They found Elder Gruun standing at the cave's entrance, next to the altar, seemingly waiting in calm silence for the Travelers. He nodded at their arrival.

"Now," he started. "It's time to meet the Astronomer." He turned and walked toward the entrance of the temple.

"Who is that?" Clank asked, who, with Ratchet and Terin, followed Dol.

"The Astronomer is our resident stargazer. He watched you arrive in your ships and sent those two warriors I sent you to me. In turn I sent them to you."

"They could have been nicer about it," Terin admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, remembering where he'd been rammed by the butt of the staff, sending him straight for the cliff face.

"They will apologize for their actions when we get there, but understand that we have to keep as much of a secret of our home as possible."

"You don't seem to mind all that much now," Ratchet chimed in, falling into step with the elder as the company of four stepped out into the sunlight. The glare wasn't as harsh as Ratchet would have believed after spending so much time in darkness and unnatural light, but he still narrowed his eyes against the brightness.

"You will be leaving us soon enough," Dol quickly replied. "To succeed, no doubt?"

"That's the plan," Terin answered.

"Well then, you're correct Ratchet. No, I don't mind at all."

They continued down the road and turned off toward a sidestreet, passing by buildings. All around them, the Travelers saw the Crolnan, acknowledging their existence as they did so theirs. But it was strange. According to Dol, all of these people did something tragic to the timeline—even the children.

There weren't many children here, as they were quick to note, but they saw a few of them horsing around. To think that these little ones were punished as well. Neither member of the Travelers could ultimately be aware of what the others thought, but they all held good approximations of the others' sentiments.

As they walked on, Ratchet noticed that they were coming closer to the wall which surrounded the village. He looked on ahead, seeing stairs getting closer which each step they took.

"Where do those lead?" He asked.

"To the top of the wall. From there, we will have to walk accross the top until we reach a path that stems off from the wall. You'll see it." Silence prevaded the group after that as the four of them got off the wall and onto the path. Orange and dusty, it barreled straight over the barren, red, mountainous terrain. As the path took a sharp turn and revealed an incline, they stopped for a moment and took a look around them. The Crolnan village was still in sight, and hadn't yet fallen to the effects of distance. Behind and above it all was the forest—that wall of green—and the sudden contrast from the bottom end of the village to its upper end, where the lush foliage and farmland seemed to end abruptly gave Ratchet pause.

Above them, the sun cast its light generously on them without being unbearable.

Ratchet turned away from the village when he heard a long whistle, followed by Terin speaking. "It's nice up here" he heard him say. He saw that the three of them were gazing off into the distance, where low bearing mountains ran beneath the ledge they stood at. Off beyond the small range, in valleys both great and small, the green Ratchet had wondered of its absence now presented itself in an indifferent, unintelligible mass.

"It is. Now, let's not tarry any longer. The Astronomer is just over this incline."

Dol's words were met with immeadiate response, though the golden furred lombax let his gaze linger on the horizon before he turned and sped off toward the others. He arrived to a discussion, and saw Elder Gruun pointing toward a tall, wide, and perfectly even cone of rock up ahead. He lowered his hand and continued. "Inside lies the Astronomer's observatory."

"Wait," Ratchet interjected, unable to keep his confusion locked away. "We enter inside a rock?"

The Crolnan elder nodded. "Don't worry. The inside is peculiar, but quite unassuming."

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel better," Ratchet confessed. The elder shrugged in response.

"So," Terin began, wishing to change the subject evident in his approach. "What are we supposed to do once inside then?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

It wasn't long before they came to be beneath the observatory's presence. The rock face was smooth and the Travelers could make out no visible point of entry. Dol signaled them to follow him toward the shadow that the observatory cast upon the ground. They did so, and soon the sun was out of sight, and a particular coolness warmly embraced them.

"I guess there is something I forgot to mention," Elder Gruun started before tapping on the rock with his staff. Suprisingly, a rectangular shape revealed itself to them before opening slowly. "Wherever the shade is at, that is where the door is."

Only he found that amusing as the he walked inside, a light laughter heard on the ears and receptors of the Travelers. This left Terin to shake his head. "I guess it's not that bad."

"Can't say that I don't agree, but let's go," Ratchet replied, letting show a type of weariness through. Terin and Clank caught on, prompting a question on each of their behalf's as to the status of the third Traveler.

"I'm good. I just think we have a lot on our plates though."

"And there seems to be more on the way," Terin added, looking off into the black. Ratchet nodded briskly and started off again. Silently, Terin and Clank followed suit, all the while aware of the door's closing behind them. Yet, no total darkness existed once inside when the door finished closing, for a blue light in the distance dispelled it. Clank audibly surmised that this must be a hall which connected the entrance with the main room.

"It would allow for it to move according to where the sun is in the sky."

"That's not a bad theory Clank," Ratchet said. The light grew as they continued, finally stepping past the threshold which led into the main room. They quickly found the source of light to be on a platform above them, with three large stairs leading up to it. The light bathed everything in its path in blue, yet it wasn't bright, only subdued, leaving everything in a darker, more blue shade of their natural appearence.

However, it was also in that same moment a voice rang out, alerting them all to a presence up on the platform. The Travelers instantly looked toward the sound. They saw another Crolnan, donned in a brown tunic with a white coat, his horns curved upward and as a whole were turned slightly inward; his pupils shone a sharp gray and the Travelers' eyes met the beady stare. They saw he had a hand raised as he stood on the edge of the platform.

"Welcome again!" His voice was boisterous and loud, but alive and full of strength. "I am the Astronomer. And I welcome you to my Observatory."

He snapped. And the room burst with light.

* * *

 **AN: (4-11-18) Edited.**

 ***Feels accomplished that this chapter is over 8,000 words, then proceeds to top that with over 10,000 words next chapter***

 **In any case, with the edits on chapter 27 accomplished, I've finished the first set of edits to this story. As of this upload, all my chapters to this story have names. WOOHOO!**

 **Max out.**


	28. This Is The Time

He was ready.

But it took time. Hours to gather. But he had it surrounding his mind. The brilliance of the many circlets of psychic energy around him resonated with a terrific hum. This was all he could do for now. After this, unless he was freed, the psychic would laspe into cryosleep.

Of course he wouldn't use all of it now. Still, what he had was what he had.

Extending a hand out toward a place in the psychic rings, the energy responded, being pulled in by an invisible order. A unintelligble mass flew to his hand and nuzzled around it. This would serve as 'vitals'. Under no circumstance was this to be used unless the situation desperately warrants. The psychic lowered his hand under the energy and—by another order—formed it into a sphere.

Satisfied, he drifted around the psychic ball and moved closer to the psychic circlets. Outside he could see Leviathan asleep like the dead—cold and unmoving. He moved a hand through the energy, gathering even more. He raised his hand and flung it at the creature. For a moment, Leviathan glowed purple before the light receded. The amount of power the psychic gave was enough to dampen the glow of the circlets. Around his mind, a kind of darkness closed in, inching its way toward Nathaniel, threatening to submerge him under the cryogas.

"Maybe next time," he said aloud, listening as those three words revebrated across his consciousness.

He drifted back toward the center of the rings, next to the compact sphere and simply floated there, silently. He closed his eyes and the rings around him reacted, beginning to turn clockwise. They spun faster and faster the longer he held his eyes close. Erratic static began to shoot about, crossing between the psychic and the circlets. An aura appeared around Nathaniel as he drifted upward, up and over the sphere. At his sides, bent at the elbow, his arms rested; but his hands and fingers twitched in a frenzy. Louder and louder the lighting and energy became, resonating with might. Suddenly, he threw his hands out to the side and—

"— _HA_!"

The cry silenced everything as pure and bright purple eyes revealed themselves. Immeadiately, the psychic circlets rose and melted into Nathaniel's aura. At once the aura multiplied itself in presence, both power and light wafting off in exorbiant amounts. He raised a hand to his face, an aura of its own present as he placed two fingers on his right temple.

" _Talwyn. Talwyn, can you hear me?_ "

* * *

The call came in unannounced. It was subtle, however, so it never alarmed her when she looked up, thinking that someone entered her cell—but no one was there.

" _Tal, come in._ "

She sat up straight, surprised by the psychic's voice in her head.

" _Don't speak aloud. You're being watched aren't you?"_

"... _Yes,_ " Talwyn thought, hoping that Nathaniel heard her.

" _Okay then. Act normal. That way you won't give us away._ "

"Sure." Just then, she yawned, then proceeded to slide down against the wall, calling to mind the invisible bouncy ball she used earlier.

" _Perfect!_ " Nathaniel said in satisfaction.

" _So,_ " she began, throwing the pretend ball against the wall. " _How are you? And second off, how are you managing this_?"

" _First things first, I'm good, thanks. Second off, let's just say that I was moved out of my spherical prison. I don't know why though._ "

Nathaniel paused momentarily before continuing. " _I'm in your typical cell with a cryomask strapped to my face... at least that's what I think. I know for a fact that I'm being subjected to cryogas though._ "

" _Then how are you conscious?_ " Talwyn asked, catching the ball before tossing it up into the air.

" _The Leviathan,_ " the psychic answered matter-of-fact. " _Without him, I would be out cold... literally._ "

" _Hmm, hilarious._ "

Nathaniel chuckled. " _Thanks._ "

Talwyn caught the ball and tossed it into her other hand. Afterward, she started throwing the ball against the wall again.

" _So, do you have any ideas on how to get out?_ " Talwyn inquired.

" _I'm afraid not,_ " answered Nathaniel. " _I don't want to run the risk of Dornavan finding out I'm using Telepathy. Who knows what he'd do if he found out?_ "

How could Dornavan find out? Talwyn wasn't sure but she took the psychic's word for it. She caught the ball and set it down beside her.

" _So,_ " she started again, deciding on a subject change. " _W_ _hat happened down on Alnek?_ "

Nathaniel shook his head and made an annoyed sound. " _Well, after I announced that the Platforms were going down, I immeadiately went after them, hoping I could prevent their collision with the planet._ "

" _Yeah, I heard about that._ "

"... _H_ _ow?_ "

" _Your psychic energy was detected by the Defense Force fleet. Captain Grayman assumed that you were holding them up. When he asked me to contact the nearest officer for him, he made a mention of that._ "

" _Ahhh,_ " Nathan answered. " _Well, he assumed correctly. But, even at Ultimate Psiwalk I was unable to save them._ " Here, Talwyn noticed a shift in the psychic presence, as if something great was looming around them. When Nathaniel communicated again, his voice took a hit into a lower octave.

" _I couldn't save them. I had to let Leviathan take over. With the additional power, he was able to rescue the Platforms. But it was what happened before that gives me pause._ "

Silence prevaded the mind of the markazian as the psychic took another moment to gather the words he wanted to say.

" _Leviathan knew I couldn't do it. I thought I could. Our fighting wasted precious time and I'm afraid that Platform 1 took the biggest blow. No one... no... they're all dead Talwyn. Everyone on Platform 1 is dead._ "

...

...

...

" _I'm not surprised you have nothing to say,"_ Nathaniel continued, _"but somewhere in this noggin' of mine, I knew my limits. I just didn't want to admit defeat with everything on the line. So for my pride and subsequent failure, I let slip the lives of millions. Then to add insult to injury, I lost to Dornavan._ "

" _Well technic—_ "

" _—_ _thank you for that one Talwyn, but I'll take the blame. Leviathan is a creature that focuses solely on power. If you have the ability to outthink, outmanuver, or simply out-tactic Leviathan, you have a good shot at beating him. Plus, Leviathan can't use his full power inside me; my body can't handle the sheer quantity of psychic energy he puts out._ "

" _But if I was able to go Transcendant, I could have saved the Platforms, crushed Dornavan, and destroyed Balloch's fleet. We wouldn't have been captured Talwyn... and no one would be dead._ "

The looming presence suddenly vanished after that last utterance and Talwyn felt Nathaniel shrink away to somewhere in the back of her mind. While the thought occured to her to be somewhat violated by the action, she knew he wouldn't peek around. Plus, this allowed her a moment to think through everything he said.

Dead. 'Everyone on Platform 1 is dead' it was. She was aware of the chill spikes which made her shudder. So much pain and loss, only because they happened to lose at Raynarn's southern border and needed assisstance. Yet, the dejection evident in the psychic's words as he poured out that spiel was, to her knowledge, out of a numb acceptance for what happened, and not regret.

She guessed the question now was whether or not he wanted help. If Nathaniel had already come to terms with his failure, then was there anything that could be said?

He needed her help, so she believed it was worth the shot.

" _Hey, Nathaniel,_ " she started tentatively into the quiet expanse.

Vibrations quickly answered her call, resounding as a familiar voice filled her mind.

" _Yes?_ " Nathaniel asked.

" _You did all you could,_ " Talwyn replied.

The psychic would have smiled at that, but to see it would only reveal what he truly felt. " _Believe me, while I'm thankful for all of you, I know all my mistakes._ _T_ _he problem with me is just that I don't often want to fix them._ _Pathetic? Absolutely. But when you've done everything I have, you just sort of come to terms with things beyond yourself. Are these things fixable or are they just something you have to deal with? I'm not sure._ "

" _You're being too hard on yourself._ "

" _Why should I not be?_ "

" _Because you'll only break yourself if you do so. Failure, while an apparent bad thing, if taken in the right context, becomes a benefit._ "

" _One of the many juxtaposes of life I'm sure, but you have yet to fathom all I have seen and believed._ "

" _Look, Nathaniel_ ," Talwyn said, sighing in annoyance. " _I'm not Ratchet._ _A_ _lthough right now I wish he was here. He would have straightened you out again._ "

" _Not when I'm like this._ "

" _I'm sure no one_ _could_ _!_ " Talwyn snapped suddenly, letting loose all the anger she accumulated over the short conversation. It surprised her, to be sure, but she didn't take back those words. By now, she reasoned, Nathaniel needed to hear this. It wasn't a numb acceptance anymore that drove the psychic's words, but simple apathy.

" _Would you stop moping around like a child?!_ "

There was no reply. Fine by her. She sighed before continuing.

" _Look. Try instead to focus on what needs to get done. Soon, the past as we know it won't be_ _a_ _nd I honestly would love to get out of here._ _D_ _on't you?_ "

" _Sure._ " It was in the sound that would accompany a shrug. She took a deep breath, trying to clear another rising bout of agitation.

" _Can you expand your telepathy around you? Try to get an idea where your at?_ "

A brief pause followed as the psychic's presence temporarily vacated Talwyn's mind.

" _I can but I'd rather not. You see, I only have a limited amound of power that I can gather on my own. Right now, I'm using it up talking to you... wasting it, according to you._ "

Talwyn rolled her eyes.

" _However, I still have a considerable amount left, but it won't hold forever. It's best if I leave, then take a look._ _O_ _kay?_ "

" _Whatever works best._ "

" _Alright then, be right back._ "

The psychic was gone after that, leaving the markazian alone in her thoughts. It wasn't hard to return to reality, but after a blinking a few times, and standing up to stretch out her limbs, she immeadiately wished she hadn't come back to reality.

Standing in the doorway to her cell, donned in his typical ruby-red plate armor, stood the Ribunis mage: Dornavan. His mask was gone, and the first thing Talwyn noticed was a shiny platinum circlet. A bright purple light was aglow in the center, indicating the device he wore to be on. His striking orange eyes held victory in them, and the malevolent smirk only completed the triumph the mage alone partook in.

" _Oh, Miss Apogee, scheming with the psychic now, are we?_ "

Instincively, her mind went dead silent. A gripping fear took hold as Dornavan's snide voice echoed throughout her head.

" _I guess you both need_ _to be taught_ _a lesson._ "

Dornavan raised a hand to his head and suddenly, Talwyn's mind turned fuzzy, and she quickly lost all connection to reality, collasping on the floor in short order.

 _ **R &C**_

"And so," the out-spoken Astronomer continued, pointing to the ships surrounding Jenavi, "as you can see, our enemies are here. And we've only two Lombax ships to meet them."

"What do you suggest? You know we are bound to this planet," Elder Gruun inquired, before reminding the Astronomer about one of the many precepts of their kind. The Astronomer waved off the statement before saying that the bind was relative to the planet and that _he_ knew that. Gruffly, Dol muttered under his breath without distinction. The Astronomer ignored the elder and continued. "So, you can see the problem. But don't worry, I have a solution. After that—should it work," the Astronomer mumbled. "We then hijack their carrier and board their fleet with a veritable army!"

The Travelers turned their heads toward the two other Crolnan in the room. First introduced to them as Gunak and Ulthrin, the two Crolnan Dol tasked Diminuel with fetching, they quickly showed the Travelers their 'offence marks': green palms. They also explained, much to their initial surprise, that each mark represents what each one did in the past, before they were judged. In addition, unlike Elder Gruun, Gunak and Ulthrin's speech was hyper-accelerated, easily losing the lombaxes and forcing the Zoni to break down their sentences in order to understand.

"Three fighters, one lombax of mass destruction, and a Zoni warbot? That's a 'veritable army'?" Terin asked, humoring the people around them. None of it was lost as Elder Gruun nodded, chuckling audibly, sounding almost robotic.

"Indeed," Dol replied.

"And add to that, a Zoni who can actually _be_ a Zoni," the Astronomer spoke up, drawing the eyes of everyone in the room.

"Youreallythinkthat'snecassary?" Gunak inquired. Compared to Ulthrin, Gunak was the taller and more limber of the two, with horns that bent down and out to the side. He was donned in a dirt-brown, knee-long tunic, tied at the waist with a thick cord of rope. In his hands, he casually held his trident horizontally, and with his head, he looked up at the Astronomer knowing full well what he meant, but still unsure if it was truly necessary.

"Why not?! If Clank has the ability to use his innate Zoni bio-energy alongside quantum energy—"

"What do you mean 'if I had the ability to use my innate bio-energy'?" Clank interjected, looking between the Crolnan in the room.

"Who do you think you are?!" The Astronomer began, holding his arms out wide. Some warbot made by some blarg?!" His tone was exuberant—the farthest thing from his mind was to insult the son of who they worship. "You are the son of Orvus! And pardon me that I do not speak with the same level of rerevential awe for you as I should but, your father Clank, was no slouch. He stood up to a Hypersonic Brainwave Scrambler repeatedly... holding off until he knew Nefarious could no longer be reasoned with."

"What I am trying to say is this: all your life, you've been exposed to other Zoni, using them and their energy to overcome obstacles that got in your way. But what if I told you that you could have done all that yourself? Would you want to?"

"Wait," Ratchet started. "You're telling me Clank—"

"—can fly and make other entities levitate; fix anything in need of it; upgrade all forms of technology; energize objects; fire projectiles; blink in and out of time; _control_ _tim_ _e_ ;" here, the Astronomer smiled knowingly. "The list goes on and on," he finished.

Silence prevaded the room as the Travelers tried to fathom the implications. Dunak and Ulthrin walked over to Dol and whispered quickly a few things to him. Out of their peripheral, the lombaxes saw Elder Gruun nod and send them away.

"Where are they going?" Terin inquired.

"To fetch a few more Crolnan. Ultimately though, it all falls upon Clank whether or not he wants to be more akin to his kind."

All eyes fell upon the warbot.

With a digit on his chin, Clank pondered on what to say.

...

...

...

When he finally broke the silence, the Astronomer broke into a huge smile.

"I do not find anything wrong with my innate powers being activated."

"Perfect! Elder Gruun," the Astronomer began, holding up a finger to the air. "We're going to need some Zoni for this. Can you get into contact with the Senior Caretaker?"

"Sigmund?!" The intergalactic duo asked in unison. "You can talk to him?"

Dol nodded. "We can indeed. If you wish, follow me and I'll let you speak with him."

The well-known members of the Travelers followed Elder Gruun toward the hall. Terin watched them leave, comtemplating whether or not he should follow when the final Crolnan in the room grabbed his attention via clearing his throat loudly.

"Terin," the Astronomer then called.

The lombax turned his head; his reply simple. "What's up?"

The Astronomer clapped his hands and the holo-map disappeared, banishing the blue light from the otherwise pristine white space. Another clap and the walls themselves dimmed down, graying to something more agreeable to the eyes.

"You want to see your ship?"

Terin looked cautiously at the Crolnan, slowly raising his eyebrows. "Sure. But where is he though?"

A finger pointed downward. Terin followed the direction. On the edge of his vision was movement, and Terin saw the Astronomer next to him on his left.

"Let me guess," Terin casually asked, raising his eyes level again. "You too have super speed."

"Not super speed per se, but, to an extent, yes."

Terin shook his head and sighed, acknowledging the statement with a quiet 'of course'.

"And yet you still stood up to Gunak and Ulthrin. Super impressive."

Terin let the compliment slide as he ventured next. "So, where are the ships?"

A snap was his only answer. And to the lack of surprise on Terin's part, the lombax and Crolnan watched as the large platform-steps receded into the floor. The bottom most step's center descended into the floor, leaving a large hole.

"Down there?" Terin asked simply.

The Astronomer nodded before shooting a look at the silver lombax.

"You're not surprised?"

"After that explanation from Dol Gruun, nothing can surprise me now."

"Don't sell surprise short now Terin, you never know what's around the corner. Now come, follow me."

Together, they traversed the large steps downward, leaping into the darkness below.

 _ **R &C**_

Bracing himself against the coming sphere of fire, Balloch felt the intense heat crash against his arms, shielding him from the explosion. Still, the concussive force sent his feet skidding across the floor. Maseox called out to him, tossing a blaster at the commander. "That's not the way we're going to take him down!"

" _I know,_ " Balloch seethed internally. How he got roped into this foolhardy spar he wasn't sure... well, yes he was, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that he knew they couldn't win with the set terms and therefore, he wasn't fighting as hard as he could, opting instead to play it defensively.

He wasn't beaten. But he couldn't beat his foe either. As he caught the blaster and put it away into his empty holster, he sped off toward his opponent, barreling down the training room floor in order to bullrush his opponent.

* * *

 _It was shortly after Dornavan walked into the prison sphere control room with the psychic in tow, loudly annoucing to everyone that he caught him chatting with Talwyn. Liege, Balloch, and Maseox turned to look at the triumphant entrance of the mage, seeing that the psychic was trapped in another magical stasis ball._

 _"What do you mean, 'chatting with Talwyn'?" Balloch asked, beating everyone to the punch._

 _"Telepathy. I guess the cryogas wasn't enough to keep him under," Dornavan answered, calling to his side the sphere._

 _Liege moved a claw inside his robe and spoke. "Mar di fuml da ven kos?"_

 _Dornavan heard the translation, then proceeded to tell him and the others that the psychic and captain were trying to find a way out._

 _Liege shook his head with a dark smile on his face that was unbeknownst to the mage. Balloch and Maseox exchanged a glance and turned toward the working crewman._

 _"Is the sphere up yet?" Maseox barked. A tech turned and addressed the Fell-Enk commander positively._

 _"Good." Maseox turned to the mage and nodded to him, using his hand to gesture to the prison room. "Seal him inside, will you?"_

 _"Sure thing," Dornavan answered, leaving the room. Once the mage left, Maseox turned to Balloch and said."I could take him."_

 _The other commander's answer was preceded by a hearty laugh. "No you can't."_

 _Even Liege was intrigued by his subordinate's statement, for he too mimiced Balloch's answer, earning the sharp rebuttal of Maseox._

 _"Maybe you've gone soft playing this game of 'Cat And Mouse'."_

 _"That's hardly the case. It's as simple as that that Nathaniel and Dornavan are in a class far beyond our own. Believe me, I've sparred with Dornavan before. He always walks away fine."_

 _"Hmpf," Maseox said, "if you say so. How about two on one?"_

 _"Neither of us can do it," Balloch replied quietly._

 _"Cal abru thir?"_

 _Both commanders looked toward the Cragmite; one with a face that showed interest picqued, the other with a face that showed solemn quiet._

 _"It's your funeral," Balloch answered._

 _"Theis cal mar di suoc de mar? De-ak maraf retarik uleen."_

 _"Fair enough." Although the first Fell-Enk commander followed that up with something muttered. The point raised was indeed so, but the Cragmite knew what he ordered. It was taking a couple of hours, but Liege wanted the lombax ships found before they would lay siege to the planet. The paitence required drove them up a wall, but the Cragmite wanted no one to have a chance of escape._

 _Balloch heaved a heavy sigh and told Maseox that he could instigate the challenge if he wanted._

 _"What challenge?" Dornavan asked, entering into the control room._

 _"How's your skill in combat?" Maseox inquired, folding his arms across his chest. The mage gestured to the psychic's prison. The smile on the Ribunis conveyed his silent answer. The expression was meant by another one of equal magnitude._

 _"Then how would you like a challenge?"_

 _"Just you?"_

 _The Fell-Enk shook his head, and turned so Dornavan could see Balloch and Liege behind him. "They're joining in as well."_

 _Dornavan shrugged. "Alright then, I'll see you all in the training room. Bring your best. I'm on fire right now."_

* * *

And fire was right. Balloch knew exactly what tactic the mage was going for. He was just toying with them. That fireball was nothing compared to what he'd been given earlier in their training back when they were making their hyperjump through Polaris. Yet, the mage was being a good sport and taking a few blows. As the mage flew up to avoid the bullrush, Balloch pulled his blaster out of the holster and aimed quickly, proceeding to then empty a few rounds. A shield was his response.

He put the gun back into the holster and called out to Maseox, telling him to drop down. A quick look gave Maseox the information he needed and he complied forthwith, waiting for the heavy weight he knew was coming. It wasn't long before Balloch ran and hopped on Maseox, bending quickly at the knee before jumping off, backflipping in the air, readying a solid downward kick at the mage.

Surprised to say the least from such an unorthodox technique, Dornavan still knew where Balloch would end up and simply floated out of range...

...if only he could.

Looking down, Dornavan saw Liege holding him in place, trapping his ankles in a vise-like grip.

"HA!" Dornavan cried, throwing a fireball down at the Cragmite.

It made contact, but it was too late. The heavy kick from Balloch punctured Dornavan's shield and sent the mage crashing on the floor. Upon his own landing, Balloch stood again with his back to his fallen foe. Maseox also stood up and came over. Both pulled their pistols out and pointed them at Dornavan.

"Stay down."

A cough was their only response. "Not bad..." Dornavan sputtered, before coughing again.

Out of their peripheral, the two Fell-Enk commanders saw Liege come over as well, aiming his own blaster at the mage.

"And you say that he was trouble," Maseox said mockingly to Balloch, keeping his weapon trained.

"I still do," Balloch answered evenly. Looking down, he saw Dornavan on his hands and knees, looking up the three of them. Unbeknowest to either Liege or Maseox, Balloch blinked quickly.

In reply, the Ribunis smiled. Time for him to step up his game.

Instantly, he vanished, and immeadiately the three dispersed. Now was the time to truly try. Maseox swore, holding his blaster with both hands, eyes flitting around the large room, ready to react at the first sign of the mage.

"So, 'you say that he was trouble'?" Dornavan quoted, mimicing pitch-perfect Maseox's snark.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" Maseox roared. Balloch and Liege noted Maseox's grip on his weapon was slowly cracking it. Each snap, crackle, and pop resounded in the air, only fueling the rage, anger, and contempt Maseox held for the mage now. However, so unlike _him_ right now, Balloch and Liege kept calm, trying to guess the mage's location. He hadn't left the room, leaving the question of whether or not super speed was in use. They only felt a wind pick-up when Dornavan first disappeared. That most likely meant Dornavan was simply invisible.

Balloch looked over to Liege and saw the Cragmite frozen in place. The first thing he noticed was that Liege's small black pupils had dilated, growing in size to cover most of his eyes. Balloch found it peculiar, but assumed that this was probably a heightened way for a Cragmite to hunt his pray.

After a few seconds, Liege's pupils resumed their normally small and beady self, only for the Cragmite to roar an order and raise his blaster and empty several rounds in several directions. Balloch and Maseox ducked and rolled, only for the latter to feel a breeze blow by him.

"There!"

The other two watched as Maseox rushed in the direction toward his foe, readying a punch. As he sent it down, they all heard a crash, and a sudden snap of an echoing pulse. Dornavan came back into view, a smile on his face, yet underneath his mask.

A solitary hand had caught Maseox's fist, suprising the one person the mage wanted it to.

"This is where I show you how wrong you are," Dornavan said. With his other hand, Dornavan shot it up against Maseox's chest, sending him flying in the air, impacting the far wall with a terrific slam. The three of them watched as the Fell-Enk... well, 'fell', unceremoniously to the ground. His collasped frame didn't budge after they waited several more moments.

A dark chuckle escaped the mage, and he looked toward his two foes. "Do you want to call it a draw?"

Liege and Balloch exchanged looks, but ultimately nodded, acquiescing to the mage's wishes.

"But you're cleaning up," Balloch added, heading for the training room doors. As he input the unlock code, he finished up by pointing to Maseox, telling Dornavan to patch him up if need be.

A brisk nod answered the last two commands, and Dornavan watched as the doors opened up, allowing Balloch and Liege to leave. He took a look around the room, noting that the only source of destruction was the grand finale. Even he didn't make a dent in the floor when Balloch's kick had sent him crashing down. But beside that, the only other sources of destruction were on their own persons. No 'true' injuries were sustained in the fight, but they all would feel uncomfortable soon.

Well...

Dornavan raised a hand to his chest, allowing it to take a luminescent white glow, healing any scuffs and bruises he might have sustained.

...he wouldn't.

In all honesty, he had dominated the fight from the outset, always remaining just a single step ahead of them all. If he truly wanted to, he could have won in seconds. But, he wanted to humor them all, and teach the one a lesson. He took his mask his off and pulled back his hood, revealing his face to the overhead lights. The glare was adjusted to quickly and he walked over to Maseox, gripping his mask with his left hand. Once next to him, Dornavan got down on one knee and placed his free hand on the back of the Fell-Enk. The same luminescence glowed over the fallen Fell-Enk and soon, low groaning reached the ears of the Ribunis.

He canceled the spell and stood back up. Time rolled by as Maseox gathered his bearings, mumbling some incoherent words that the mage couldn't make sense of.

"Take it easy," he advised. "What happened a minute ago still happened a minute ago."

"Dornavan... that you?"

"Mmhmm."

"You son of a—" Maseox started, but was abruptly cut off—verbally—by Dornavan.

"Save it for the battlefield when you taunt the lombaxes and Zoni," he began. "I beat you fair and square."

"I don't remember flight, shielding, invisibility and all that other shit apart of 'fair and square'."

"To each their own..." Dornavan began, before deciding to stop, knowing that Maseox wouldn't take the rest well.

Maseox stood up and dusted his combat suit off. He shook his head vigorously, walking over to the doors where he too input the access codes. They receded upon success and Maseox took a step forward, stopping in the doorway. He looked back, and, as if he wanted to say something, opened his mouth.

"Yes?" Dornavan asked.

A quick shake of the head was all the mage recieved in answer. "Never mind," Maseox grumbled, leaving the room. The doors closed shut behind him, leaving the Ribunis alone in the training room.

He sighed and closed his eyes. " _He'll get over it._ "

Putting back on his mask, his eyes met another of himself several cubits away. He pulled up his hood; the projection did the same.

" _Time to get serious then,_ " he thought.

Two cries sounded. And an explosion shook the room.

 _ **R &C**_

"So this is where your tech is? I was wondering how you projected all that stuff," Terin remarked, taking in the filled room of blue and steel.

The Astronomer laughed. "Yep! Though I'm afraid it's all chrono-based. I had this timed for ages."

"Let me guess," Terin started, walking up to the monitor system, taking his place next to the Astronomer. "You went through everything we could possibly say, then filtered them though a voice recording system, after which each holographic projection would then spawn accordingly to illustrate your point."

The Astronomer blinked... looking at the lombax with an unusual blankness. "That's exactly how I had it set up. How did you know?"

Terin pointed to the screens. Looking up, the Astronomer could see a vast list of text with various question and their respective answers. A nervous laugh escaped the Crolnan as he slowly nodded. He then coughed and started to speed his fingers across the holo-keyboard.

"I uh... didn't know I had that... heh, publically displayed." The text soon vanished and only blank, transparent blue screens displayed themselves. Terin smiled inwardly as he voiced his next query. "Where are Aphelion and Zenith then?"

The Astronomer quickly typed something on another panel. He then lifted a finger and pointed to the right. "There."

Terin looked over to find a doorway that he pretty sure wasn't there before. "Down there is the hangar. Go in and wait for me," the Astronomer commanded. "They'll be deactivated though. Figured I would give you the honor of reactivating them and calling our enemies down here."

"Alright," Terin said, entering the hangar.

True to its name, the massive kilocubit stretch met the lombax's eyes as he walked forward beyond the door's threshold, illuminated by numerous overhead lights. Ahead of him, the two lombax ships rested above the floor. He walked in their midst, resting a hand on each of the ships. He patted them both and let his hands rest again in their place at his side.

"Ready to roll," he asked to no one. The query was met by a disdainful chuckle. Terin shook his head vigorously.

" _C'mon Terin,_ " he thought to himself. " _Focus._ "

Footsteps twitched the ears of the lombax who turned to find the Astronomer coming toward him and the ships. In the Crolnan's hand he held a switch. On it was a bright red button. At the end of his approach, the Astronomer held the switch out to Terin and asked if he would like to do the honors.

"I would." Terin pressed the button and the sound of engines turning over, then revving, made him turn to see Aphelion and Zenith shake and stutter. Finally, a monotone hum came over the area as the lombax and Crolnan saw their front screens light up, moving back and forth.

"Aphelion. Zenith. It's good to see you up and running again."

"What happened?" Aphelion asked. "Were we broken again?"

"No," Terin answered simply. "Just deactivated."

"Where are we then?" Zenith demanded.

"Long story short, we met the Crolnan and now's the time we go end this once and for all."

"Who? Liege and his men?" Aphelion inquired.

Terin felt his hands curl into fists at the mention of the Cragmite. "Yes."

"Good," Zenith said to all in the hangar.

"By now, Liege's fleet will have located your signatures, and they will indeed take the bait. The only question now is how many men they'll send our way?"

"Won't matter," Terin replied confidently. "We'll deal with them all." The Astronomer clasped the shoulder of the lombax and shook it tough. "That's what I like to hear. Now, let me open up the hangar and you can take the ships out of here. Once done you can land them in the village center where you'll have to wait for your friends. Once they arrive, Elder Gruun will want to get the ritual underway."

"Understood," Terin said as he patted Zenith, telling him to open up. He complied and Terin climbed aboard. As his vision met the stretch ahead, Terin saw the door open up, flooding the strip with orange light.

"You're in the clear Terin," the Astronomer said, energetic voice coming through Zenith's nav-unit.

"Aren't you coming?"

"No can do," the Astronomer answered. "I'm afraid I've been barred from the ritual."

 _Barred?! How?!_

"I'll tell you later," he added, anticipating the lombax's thoughts. "For now, just go."

"Alright then. See you later."

With that, Terin floored Zenith and together, with Aphelion close behind, they soared out of the hangar, quickly turning around toward the village.

 _ **R &C**_

"Sir!" A trooper called, his solitary cry freezing activity in the bridge. Balloch walked over and looked at it: two steady red blips beeped on screen. Balloch noted that they were in movement... although that didn't last long.

"Is it the lombaxes?" Maseox asked from atop the lookout.

"Their ships at least," came the Fell-Enk's simple reply.

"How did they do that is the question?"

"I'm unsure."

"Think it's a trap?"

"What could three people do to make an effective one?"

"True. But you're the one who's asking us to be cautious."

"I am. Still, we should go with the original plan and go planet side. I believe this is to your liking."

A sinister smirk graced Maseox's face. "It is indeed."

"Then tell Liege we're ready. It's go time."

 _ **R &C**_

"And that takes care of that," Sigmund cheerfully remarked, reaching for the holovision remote. But before he pressed the power button, the senior caretaker ran through a mental checklist, making sure everything on it was complete, so the 'evil computer' would have no reason to bother him for the next couple hours.

Time cleaners were wound up and eating away at time rifts—check.

Time pads were functioning properly and waiting to become minor annoyances in the future—check.

Mnemonic stations would take one into their own subconscious without any signs strange, bizarre, or otherwise unexplainable neural activity—check.

Planets were in the clear—check.

Broken devices fixed up by the Chronoscepter—check.

'Evil computer' patched and updated to the latest version—check.

Teratropes scattered—check.

Orvus Chamber sealed tight—check.

Everything seemed to check out then. Aiming the remote at the screen, he was met with static before three familiar faces appeared, drawing a broad smile out of the caretaker.

"Hello Sigmund," Clank voiced for everyone. Elder Gruun nodded and Ratchet raised a hand in greeting.

"Oh, hello sir," Sigmund answered, realizing that everyone could see the remote in his hand. He fumbled with it, trying to hide it behind his back. Afterward, the caretaker continued the conversation, hoping that the remote did not draw too much attention to itself. "I see you found the Crolnan. So what brings you to call?"

"The Astronomer has found it fit to allow Clank to embrace his inner Zoni," Dol answered. This prompted a surprised look from the Senior Caretaker to which he directed to Clank. The Zoni warbot replied that he was okay with this.

"You'll need some Zoni then for that," Sigmund said, lifting a hand—and remote—in the air. "I'll find some and send them over."

"Thank you, Caretaker." At that, Elder Gruun nodded and removed his staff from a hole in the floor, canceling communications.

* * *

"I'm afraid that's all we have time for," the Crolnan said as he turned away from the large, multi-faceted, crystaline screen. "By my calculations—should everything have gone smoothly—Gunak and Ulthrin would have gathered everybody together for the ritual."

"Is it painful?" Ratchet asked, walking alongside Clank as they followed Dol down a hall toward an open room. The Crolnan inhaled deeply before letting go of the breath, shaking his large-horned head slowly. "I do not know. But I believe at worst it should only be disconcerting. Believe me, I wish I could offer you certainty, but right now, we should focus on getting to the temple. The hour is fast approaching and you three must be ready."

They crossed a threshold into the light outside. The Crolnan's Obsidian Eye was located atop a hill in a hut at the far southeastern side of the village, overlooking a sizable, empty plot of land where only short grass grew. A simple cobble path was the only form of construction around them.

But yet, Dol was right. That was the whole plan of the Astronomer: activate their ships, send up a signal, and call down the thunder. The whole of which the Astronomer said that 'this is where you make the impossible look easy'. You, obviously standing for Ratchet, Clank, Terin, Gunak, and Ulthrin. It was insanity to think so, to think even for a moment that just five people could stand up to a fleet. But when one thought through the identities of each member of the small band, it made sense.

Ratchet looked to Clank—his best friend since the very end of their first adventure. They alone had taken down numerous fleets, armadas, armies, invading forces, and besieging battalions. And as the years progressed, the number only ever increased. The lombax smiled. The universe at large hadn't found a way to be done with them yet.

Terin—on the other hand—a Major in the Praetorian Guard and co-founder of the elite Ears & Tails, his name alone made many of the lombaxes' enemies pause from fear. To him, you harm a single soul among his kind, your life is going to be devastated. And there will be no reprieve.

Then finally came Gunak and Ulthrin. Although the three Travelers knew little about them, they knew enough to know that they were just as formidable, if not more, than the three of them. Having the ability to not only increase their speed to an obtuse degree, but decrease everyone else's as well, these two warriors had the capability to challenge the psychic himself. It very much impressed the three of them, especially Terin.

So, Ratchet reasoned, add them together and you have yourself quite the group. But, enough to attack those who so far have proved just as tenacious and powerful as some of Ratchet's most dangerous enemies? He wasn't sure. But as he, Clank, and Dol walked off cobble and onto dirt, Ratchet looked around him.

The village was empty—giving creedence to Dol's words. The stone buildings echoed their dirty and dusty footsteps, but otherwise silence was amidst them. Ratchet felt the prickly element of his fur as it stood on end. Nervous energy abounded in him, demanding to be released. His eyes flitted about. The sun had started to set, casting orange and shadow around them, bathing the streets in the light of the fast-approaching dusk. But despite the added hues, the colors around him still matched each other. Nothing had changed.

"Hey pal," Ratchet called. Whirring servos answered as Clank turned his head to face him. "Yes, Ratchet?"

"How are you feeling?"

"I am alright. How are you?"

"Honestly Clank, I'm tense. I know, I know, I should be used to this but this time..." Ratchet sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know pal. Things are bigger than ever. And now with you about to have your Zoni powers unlocked, you could say I'm worried."

"Well, you have no need to worry, I will be okay."

"I keep telling myself that," Ratchet said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It doesn't help."

Clank smiled, thankful for Ratchet's concern. If he were being honest, the coming ritual filled him with more wonder than worry. He never thought about it before, but when reflecting on the powers and abilities his people possess, they were fascinating. The wide array there was to discover and experiment with made his processors tingle from excitement.

However, if only he had such a chance. The true reason why the Astronomer had wished for Clank to unlock his latent potential was because of Dornavan himself. The mage, the Astronomer had said, was more than enough to combat the array of Crolnan that they could assemble.

* * *

 _He held up a hand; swirling energy danced around it. He rolled his fingers and the energy reacted, forming a circular shape. The shape in question took the form of an object that the Travelers knew rather well._

 _"Psych-Bands?" Clank asked, incredulous._

 _"Indeed. I'm afraid for all our gifts given to us, immunity to mind-control was not one of them." The Astronomer shook his head, tsking in what seemed to be in annoyance. "I'm afraid that's one many never get."_

 _"So what do we do then?" Ratchet inquired, crossing his arms, exchanging weight from his right to his left foot._

 _"Well, first things first, there were four. Two were destroyed by the psychic." The Astronomer shook his hand and the hologram dissapated. "That leaves two left for our enemies and Dornavan currently holds one. Together, magic and psychic are simply too powerful for anyone who is susceptible to either one. That's why we need to activate your powers Clank."_

* * *

It all came down to him to finish what the psychic started. Clank looked down at his hands, imagining green spheres of bio-energy in his grip. He closed his eyes and opened them again. The image vanished and he sighed heavily.

"Hey Clank," Ratchet said. "We're here."

The Zoni looked up at the lombax to find him pointing in front of him. Clank looked to see a crowd gathered in front of the temple—a wave of purple with blotches of green. They parted on the approach of Elder Gruun and galactic duo, allowing them passage up the road and onto the temples steps. At the top they met Terin, Diminuel, Gunak, Ulthrin, and other Crolnan in ceremonial garb. The duo met Terin and together they stepped off to side, watching as Dol conversed with another elderly Crolnan.

After some time, the elder entered into the temple proper, followed by some mature Crolnan, then finally three children. Elder Gruun turned to face the crowd; silence was buzzing in the air. "Everyone," he addressed. "We saw the moon last night! Therefore, we know who stands before us!" Turning his head over to where the Travelers stood, he gestured with that appendage for the one to come over. Clank answered the summons and stepped up next to Dol.

"In front of me XJ-0461," he whispered tapping the stone where he wanted Clank to stand. The Zoni complied and Dol continued again. "Yes! The one I indeed mean is the son of Orvus—" An audible hush fell over the crowd at the mention of the Leader of all Zoni. "—XJ-0461!"

All at once, thunderous cheers of joy rose from the crowd. The two lombaxes shared a mutual look of elation before turning to see the small Zoni warbot looming at the edge of the top step. Maybe it was the overall roar, but to them, Clank seemed smaller than normal.

But, as Elder Gruun raised his hands in the air, raising with it his staff, the crowd hushed once more.

"While I do not mind the cheers, I must admit it has been awhile to be at such center of attention," Clank said. Audible—albeit scattered—laughter bubbled throughout the crowd.

"Ah look everybody!" Ratchet cut in, elbowing Terin, pointing at Clank. "He's blushing!"

Clank—in a deadpan that could have rivaled Lawrence—stared at Ratchet. Yet, to anyone close enough, they could see the faintest of red coloring the robot's face. Louder laughter rang over the crowd. Even Dol smiled as he again raised his hands in the air, again silencing the crowd.

"But, to keep things running along, we all know what this arrival means—our charge is almost complete! Above us now lies a fleet of ships who wish to use Travel The Days to bring back the Cragmites to our dimension!"

Dol paused, exhaling quietly before beginning again. "We know of the Cragmites—the atrocities they caused while they held Polaris in their rule. We know also of the Lombaxes—the stand they took against the tyranny." Dol gestured for Terin and Ratchet to come over and take their place next to Clank. "Everyone, I present to you the last two lombaxes in our dimension!"

No cheers arose the crowd, but instead only hushed, indistinguishable whispers.

"Well," Terin whispered, leaning in next to Ratchet. "At least it's not silence."

"Mmhmm," Ratchet responded, looking out into the purple field below them.

"Today is the day!" Elder Dol suddenly cried, almost shrieking. The Travelers jerked their heads toward the Crolnan, surprise shown in their large eyes.

"Today, we go forth with the Travelers to right a wrong! Men! Women! Children! Be your prayers strong today! We will need them!"

The ensueing roar of the crowd bombarded the temple front.

"Inside. We'll get the ritual underway," Dol whispered to the Travelers, motioning for them to follow him inside. They complied, leaving the cheering Crolnan behind them as they entered the temple.

"Close the door!" Elder Gruun ordered. Loud rumbling from below met their ears as the Travelers followed the steadily rising cacophony toward the temple's entrance, where they witnessed a large circular stone rising forth from the ground, sealing the empty frame perfectly.

Light suddenly became sparse.

"Do not be alarmed. This will be over soon," Dol said, correctly anticipating their panicing thoughts.

"You could have warned us," Terin snapped in reply.

"Maybe, but now is not the time." Elder Gruun turned to the lombaxes and Zoni. A great solemnity had taken hold of the Crolnan as he spoke, commanding their rapt attention.

"XJ-0461. We have brought forth the proposition for you to have your innate nature unlocked. Do you wish it to be so?"

"I do," Clank answered cleanly, and, to the lombaxes, surprisingly calm.

Elder Gruun turned away, marching up the center of the temple... only for it this time to be not so barren as before. A long green carpet had been layed out, running from the entrance toward the altar steps. Toward the altar stood, fanning out diagonal from its edges, several Crolnan standing at attention. Older men held their staffs tightly on the floor. The three children, standing in between the fourth and fifth pillar on the right side, held glowing cyan crystals. Two females, one of who they recognised as Diminuel, stood in front of the altar steps, meeting Dol as he gave the older woman his staff and take a glass bottle from Diminuel.

Afterward, they took off toward the side, taking their place in between the second and third pillars, just opposite of each other. Next the Travelers watched Elder Gruun as he seemingly opened the bottle and sprinkled its contents on the altar, speaking audibly in an unknown language. Lastly, he stopped, kneeling in front of the altar, placing the bottle down next to him.

A blur of motion picked it up, and the Travelers assumed that either Gunak or Ulthrin accomplished the task. Elder Gruun spoke again, calling the name of someone. It turned out to be a child, and he walked up to the Crolnan elder, inclining his head to him before offering his cyan crystal.

Dol spoke shortly to the child in the same language. Once he finished, the child went back to his spot in line on the Elder's right side. Dol again spoke another name—again a child—to which the same thing before was done. The inclination of the head, the offering of the crystal, and the returning to the line. They could see now that the Elder held two crystals. He put them on the altar and called the name of the last child, who followed the same steps as the other two. The Travelers watched as Dol stood up and seemingly rearranged the crystals.

"Now is the time to call the Zoni," Dol addressed, calling another name. It was the elder from before who walked up, coming to stand at Dol's left side. The lombaxes picked up murmured chanting, watching with Clank as the two elders placed their hands upon the altar. Pure light blue spouted from the altar, mixing with the orange of the falling sun and the plethora of colored glass. The pure blue light suddenly grew stonger, overpowering the other colors as the Travelers watched the three crystals rise into the air.

In awe they saw a transparent form morph around each crystal, taking on the appearence of a Zoni in short order.

POP! POP! POP!

Brillant shards and dust fell from the now-broken crystals as three Zoni burst forth. The sound of 'Zoni' met their ears as the three little creatures surrounded Clank.

"Sire is to become one of us. We will help."

"Thank you my friends," Clank replied.

"XJ-0461," Dol called, turning to face the Travelers, who still stood near the entrance. "Would you meet me in the center of the carpet?" In addition, Dol called out four more names, commanding each of them to take a spot at one of the corners.

After they complied, Dol moved his arms inside his shawl and took it off, leaving only his sapphire tunic left. A blur appeared in front of him and the Travelers could see that it was Gunak. He got down on one knee and bowed his head, reaching up to take hold of the shawl which was layed down on his hands. Dol spoke to him in the unknown language and Gunak replied in the same before standing to walk away, moving for the right side of the temple, in between the first and second pillars.

As two other Crolnan came and placed on Dol's shoulder a cloak of green with sky blue swirl patterns, clasping it firmly on his right shoulder, Dol coversed with the elder from before who helped bring in the Zoni. He nodded and went off toward the center of carpet where Clank stood, waiting for Dol. Those who put on Gruun's cloak retreated to their place in the diagonal and Dol turned to face the woman who held his staff. He held out a hand to her, gesturing for it. She complied and gave it to him before returning to her place. He inhaled, closing his eyes while he opened and closed his hand around the staff. At last, he exhaled and walked forward, steps steady as he ended up a few paces from the Zoni warbot.

He inclined his head to Clank, speaking thusly: "XJ-0461," he started, the powerful, solemn weight replaced by a quiet meekness. "I offer you my staff: a symbol of my stead as Chief of the Crolnan." Clank watched Dol, wielding the staff underhand with both hands as he offered the object with the utmost care and reverence. Clank stood there unmoving... feeling both odd and embarrassed at such a display.

For many seconds, nothing happened. But slowly, Clank reached out and took the staff in both hands, feeling the deceptive weight bringing his arms down. He held it fast however, and Dol asked Clank if he could rise.

"You may," the warbot answered at once.

Dol complied, raising his head up to face the son of the Orvus.

"I may not continue from this point on," Dol started in the same humble reverence. "But if you may allow, I can guide you as you meet yourself."

* * *

"Hey," Ratchet whispered, leaning in next to Terin. "Is your mind blown yet?"

"Oh yeah," Terin answered quickly, almost chuckling. "Yours?"

"Oh yeah."

* * *

Clank raised his head to face the ancient Crolnan. His optics bequeathed determination as the Zoni verbally accepted the help of Dol Gruun.

"First, the four Crolnan you see: they are to serve as the base for your awakening. Command them to spark these dead quantum crystals to life."

Clank turned to see the four men who stood at the ready, nodding to the warbot as his optics fell on each one.

"Crolnan, if you please," Clank started unevenly before swallowing a rising feeling of unease. He sounded more even as he told them what Dol told him, but everyone could hear that particular unsettled edge. The lombaxes stared intently, unknowingly narrowing their eyes.

In response to Clank's wishes, the four Crolnan lowered their staffs so that they barely scraped carpet. Swirls and wisps started to flow from their trident points, quickly skipping across the carpet toward the crystals as if they were conductors. Everyone could see inside the dead crystals that life was stirring and that steady pulses thrummed in the air around the warbot.

A bright, steady glow and constant hum from each crystal signified the transfer to be complete. Clank looked to the staffs the Crolnan used. Each of their tridents' crystals had most definitely dimmed, but ultimately looked none the worse for use.

"Now," Dol started, drawing the warbot's attention to him. "You must command the Zoni to link to the crystals. They will change the quantum energy to their own bio-energy."

Clank looked to the Zoni, finding three pairs of big blue eyes staring back at him.

"My friends, would you please link to the crystals?"

The word 'link' filled the air as the Zoni quickly hovered over the crystals. Their bio-energy floated down and connected to the crystals. The thrum crescendoed, and everyone could feel the masonry slowly start to revebrate, reacting in some way to the energy that was wafting from the crystals and Zoni. The rising volume continued, and sparks soon started to jump between the Zoni and crystals. In turn it jumped from the crystals to Clank. Suddenly, a fierce discharge of light forced everyone to shield their eyes. After some time, the light subsided, and the sight that greeted them shocked the lombaxes... but threw the Crolnan on their knees.

In the air was Clank. Light green energy burrowed into him, expanding to envelop the warbot in a fantastic aura. On top of his head stood three antennae—his real one and two like the Zoni. The metallic one no longer flashed red but green. Strong and consistent, together the three wafted off Clank's own bio-energy in pounding waves. The sheer power, raw and unrefined, raised the hairs on the lombax's arms and face. Seemingly unconscious of his own movements, Clank swirled around, and sprouting from his back were long, vibrant ribbons. Out in his hands were two spheres of energy. Wisps danced around them playfully. Lastly, his eyes were closed and his head was raised toward the ceiling.

Around him, the Zoni slowly descended onto the carpet, a high-pitched squealing emenating from their being as the energy they gave suddenly dispersed, sending Clank crashing onto carpet as well.

"Clank!" Ratchet called, rushing over. Terin followed forthwith, coming up with the golden lombax to kneel next to the now full-fledged Zoni.

"What happened?" He demanded of the other Zoni. They didn't reply, simply blinking out of existence as the squealing died out.

"They drained themselves to awaken the energy inside XJ-0461."

Ratchet looked over to where Dol Gruun was still prostrate. "You mean... that's it?"

"Yes."

"Then now what?"

"We wait for XJ-0461 to wake up. Then we can continue by starting the ceremony."

"Erhm," someone groaned. Eyes opened to reveal bursting, practically blinding, neon green. "Ratch—" Clank shook his head slowly, blinking in the same pace. "Ratchet?"

"Hey pal," Ratchet greeted quietly. He was squinting, yet still wearing a huge smile. "It's over," he finished.

"It is?" Clank inquired, still somewhat groggy.

"Yes. Now all we await is your command."

Clank looked over to where Dol was. The Zoni moved to stand up from Ratchet's hands, appearing disconcerted as he wobbled in place. With hands out to catch him should he fall, Ratchet watched as Clank righted himself and faced Dol.

"You may rise," Clank said, intent on using the lightest commanding tone his voice box could possibly muster. Ratchet shuddered as he stood up, watching Clank as he took control of the situation. The transformation was so seamless yet so poignant. The kind authority the robot displayed as he walked among the Crolnan was startling to Ratchet. He and Terin watched as each Crolnan payed their deepest respects. Even the children gazed at the Zoni-marked warbot in wonder and awe, only for it to turn to giggles when Clank greeted and thanked them.

"What's wrong?" Ratchet heard Terin ask, feeling crimson grace the back of his neck.

"Ah, it's nothing," Ratchet said, waving absently. "It's just that Clank's 'Zoni energy' felt bizarre."

Terin nodded. "I saw it going through you. You actually felt it?"

"Yeah. It was weird. Like I was aware of every little motion inside of me: my heart's indiviual beats. My lungs's drawing breath. My stomach still working to digest that Keliop leaf."

Terin held his hands up at that. "Okay. That's not something everyone wants to know."

A light-hearted chuckle escaped Ratchet, soon joined by the chortles of another.

"Mm he he he he." Clank's laughter echoed throughout the temple, drawing the looks of the lombaxes. "I gotta say pal," Ratchet began, shaking his head, his expression that of one impressed. "That look suits you... in a super-powered Zoni kind-of-way."

"Agreed. I know Nathaniel would feel the same. In fact, his mind probably would have exploded from how 'spiz' he would have called it," Terin said, he too shaking his head. He sighed.

"Well, I guess now's the time."

"It is indeed," Dol said, keeping a respectful distance from Clank.

Ratchet got down on one knee and layed a hand on Clank's shoulder. Two similar green gazes held each other. Two similar smiles beamed upon the other. But, it was the lombax who first broke the vigil, nodding once to his best friend.

"Now let's go kick some butt."

* * *

 **AN: I'm going to level with you folks and 'loudly' announce to all who will read this:**

 **I WAS UNAWARE THAT TODAY IS CLANK'S BIRTHDAY! (Yes, yes, I am a horrible fan.)**

 **But hopefully this chapter where Clank gets his Zoni powers awakened is an epic birthday present...**

 **So, there you go Clank. Happy Birthday!**

 **...**

 **I** **n any case, as always when Liege opens his big fat mouth, there must be translations:**

" **Mar di fuml da ven kos?" = "Do you know what was said?"**

" **Cal abru thir?" = "What about three?"**

" **Theis cal mar di suoc de mar?" = "Then what do you suggest we do?"**

" **De-ak maraf retarik uleen." = "We're doing nothing anyway."**

 **...**

 **I believe this takes care of everything. So dear readers, I need to spilt and get cracking on PFP 4. Until next time,**

 **Max out.**


	29. The Final Wage Pt 1

Jenavi's sky was dark when the carriers entered the atmosphere.

Dornavan, with arms crossed, watched from a small window the blended mountain range that was fast approaching. He looked from the window to the men aboard the transport shuttle. Beside about ten troopers and himself, Balloch was also with them, standing and holding onto a handle attached to the ceiling. He had exchanged his royal suit for something a bit more 'combat-ready'. Actual armor covered the Fell-Enk commander in complete midnight blue, sharply contrasting the bright ruby plate that the mage wore. Also, inside the helmet Dornavan knew that Balloch wore one of the Psych-Bands.

Maseox wore the other one. Liege chose to stay behind in the event of any funny business that the three Travelers may attempt to pull. Balloch noticed the mage's stare and ventured a query. Dornavan answered positively, and Balloch looked ahead. Dornavan again turned to the window, losing himself to his thoughts once more.

" _That power._ " The words found its way to fill the mind of the mage. He was no fool. Something occurred down there… something monumental. The power wasn't like the Leviathan, big and intimidating, but rather mysterious and terrific. It made him uneasy. To go up against it would require every trick in his book. (And not just punching, kicking, and throwing up a block… or sometimes a shield.)

Wind. Fire. Lighting. Water. Ice.

The elements arched in the fingertips of the mage, shifting seamlessly as he tried to curb his runaway nerves for what was to come ahead. It was here that Dornavan felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find a large blue helmet and visor staring down at him.

"We're heading over the drop zone," Balloch said. Dornavan looked around. The soldiers were standing, checking over their weapons one last time before the big fall. The mage turned and nodded to the face above him. At that moment a siren blared over the loudspeakers and lights went off. Twelve faces in total turned to face the opening doors in the back.

"Move out!" Balloch commanded, taking the lead. Dornavan wasn't far behind as he jumped out the carrier. Cupping his hands together, he called for a blast of air to escape his hands, using it for a burst of speed. He easily overtook everyone and managed to make a clean landing on a hillside. He stood up, wiping the dust off his armor as he took in the sight of a sprawling village.

" _Curious._ "

He took off immediately for the edge of the path where he pushed against the ground with another strong gust, sailing clear over the wall and landing quite beyond its perimeters. Looking around, the dusty roads and alleyways were alight beneath the silver moon. Shifty, hurried glances and the forward motion of feet were the only movements made by the mage as he summoned a platinum-colored film to his hands. Stretching it in between and around his fingers, Dornavan stopped walking and got down on one knee, placing the magic-infused hand on the ground. He closed his eyes and concentrated.

The steady sound of footsteps came up from behind, alerting the mage to the advancing presence of Balloch and the troops.

"Vigilance men," he heard Balloch command. Next, the Fell-Enk commander walked up and addressed Dornavan directly. "What's going on?"

"Trying to locate our enemies," Dornavan replied neither without struggle nor pause.

"Well, says here that we have lifeforms around us," Balloch began, looking around. "So someone's here."

"I'm well aware, but now that we know of the Crolnan from Talwyn and Nathaniel, do you not think that this could be just a ruse?"

"And that the lombaxes and Zoni are on their way to the three planets as we speak? Impossible! We kept track of their ships' signatures on the way here. We would have known had they left."

It was here that Dornavan canceled his spell, making a grunt in annoyance before standing up.

"Well, your suit is obviously working. I'm getting too many footsteps to make either heads or tails of our situation."

Dornavan turned to face the troops. They had separated into groups of five and each started their way cautiously into the village. "Go with one of them," Dornavan started. Balloch looked down at the mage, beneath his helmet, a doubting face. Dornavan continued, but this time in a whisper. "Is the Psych-Band active?"

"Yes."

"At the first sign of trouble, use it. Is that understood?"

Balloch waited a moment before answering, obviously uncomfortable with being ordered around. "Yes."

"Good," Dornavan replied before heading off. Balloch turned and walked some distance but soon caught up with his appointed squad. The troopers acknowledged the approach but kept their eyes and weapons steady in front of them, peeking around corners and occasionally glancing upward. The Fell-Enk reached for his pistols, clicking the safety off before he spoke to the soldiers, commanding them to take a left at this next intersection.

* * *

Maseox's forces landed in a thick grove, leaving most of his men to cut ties with their parachutes. As they set up their landings with sturdy branches and good ol' physics, they stood up and Maseox radioed Balloch, telling him that they arrived.

"Good. We're already on the inside and have yet to encounter resistance. Send a party to circle over to the front of the village and enter through the open gate. The rest of your team should explore, but remain heading toward the village. Who knows what they have planned for us."

"I hear you." With that, communications ended. The Fell-Enk commander looked around him. He led a bigger advance force four times Balloch and Dornavan's number. Relative to their position, Maseox and his forces would come from the west and should they be needed, a relief for the first contact party. And yet, Balloch wanted a flank from the rear. So be it.

Maseox raised his right arm and pulled down its covering sleeve, revealing sophisticated tech adorning his light blue skin. Using his able hand, Maseox triggered several of them before pulling up his sleeve again. In a flash, the Fell-Enk disappeared. Likewise, his troops followed suit, activating their own cloaking devices.

"Onward," Maseox commanded, pulling out two invisible pistols. Sounds of pops and clicks concurred in unison. "I want the delta units to head south and circle the wall. Enter through the open gate. And everyone keep quiet; I want the element of surprise with us."

They understood and spoke not a word… much to Maseox's satisfaction.

 _ **R &C**_

Standing atop the temple—a shadow against the moonlight—Ratchet watched his enemies split up. Holding the Plasma Slayer in one hand, he flexed his grip on it while using his other hand to activate his nav-unit, contacting Clank.

"They're on the move pal. How are you holding up?"

"I am okay," came Clank's steady voice after a brief interlude.

"That's good. Gunak and Ulthrin with you?"

"Yes."

"Okay, be careful then. The Astronomer said that Dornavan has the Psych-Band. I don't want you getting yourself hurt. But be quick, he needs to be put down."

"I understand Ratchet. You will go after Balloch, I presume?"

"Yeah. I should be able to take him and his group out quickly." Ratchet cleared his throat before taking a couple of steps backward. "Take care, pal."

Clank smiled—unbeknownst to the lombax. "You too."

Ratchet canceled the call and looked up. Wherever there were buildings were predictable columns and rows. He let his gaze sweep the architecture for several moments. In order to defeat the Fell-Enk and his men, Ratchet had to be quick and rely on instinct. No second guessing and no doubting himself. Ratchet closed his eyes, imprinting the village layout in his mind. When he felt that he understood enough, Ratchet began a short sprint for the edge of the temple roof. On the last step, Ratchet bent his legs, then bounded off the roof, sailing through the air as the closest building came upon him. As he landed, he threw himself forward, tumbling with the momentum.

When he stopped, Ratchet saw that he was on the edge of the roof. The endoskeleton was quite a novel—he almost overshot the landing. A quick thank you to Dr. Rinis echoed in the lombax's thoughts as he bent low and moved across the short, flat, expanse. At another edge, Ratchet took sight of the remains of Balloch's company before they turned a corner. He moved opposite of the direction they took, picking up speed as he leapt off the roof and onto another. Ratchet continued, now closing in on their position as he moved upward along the column.

The visor in his armor kept track of his foes as he bounded across two more roofs before Ratchet got to where he wanted: a building in the same alley as Balloch and his troops, yet far behind them. Smiling, the lombax got down on one knee and leveled the Plasma Slayer's bio-scope with his right eye. He didn't need to zoom in, but he did anyway, now looking through magnification of the second degree. Little red circles appeared in his vision, indicating where the weak points on his enemies were.

Shifting a little on the roof, Ratchet took a deep breath, steadying himself. The tension wound his mind before setting it off with activity. The lombax tried to distract himself by noting what his marks wore.

" _Balloch's the only one in armor; the rest are_ _in_ _combat_ _gear_ _._ " This wasn't good for Ratchet, but he would make the best of it anyway. He aimed the rifle, leveling it so that the bullet would hit its target where the red circle lied and fired. The snap reverberated around him and Ratchet dove to the right, off the roof and onto the ground. He scrambled upward and made a mad dash down the path. This however, took a bend as the village wall came up suddenly, forcing him to veer left.

Up ahead came a clearing and Ratchet stopped, immediately diving behind a wall. He halted his breathing, using his ears to warn him of the approaching troops. From the hurried steps—though getting louder—were always sporadic, leading the lombax to assume that they were backtracking, quickly taking a moment to look around before they started off again. Ratchet took it as a sign that he had them scrambled—although that wouldn't last long. Looking up, he took sight of another roof. He looked above him, up against the wall he currently rested on.

" _That'll work._ " Ratchet jumped up, placing both his feet on the wall before jumping off, coming into contact with the wall across before jumping off of that one. Another successful duo of wall-jumping led Ratchet to landing on the roof of the building he started off on. He got down on his stomach and stayed put. Loud voices told him that his enemies arrived. Ratchet inched his way across the roof, all the while readying the Plasma Slayer for another go.

"Keep your attention above you," Ratchet heard someone command. " _Hmm, thanks!_ "

Ratchet still kept his movements in control as he started to stand up, willing to take a chance to snipe someone from around the corner. He crouched low and made his way from the troops, sliding off the roof, landing with a dull thud. He perked his ears up, wondering if they heard. A heavy exhale was his reward when no one seemed to notice. Ratchet took off to the right, peeking around the corner, before he quickly jerked back.

He felt a growl rise in his throat as he saw two troopers head his way. The other way probably had more approaching troops. Guess they did hear. Ratchet looked ahead, noting that on the other side of the clearing was another cluster of buildings. His head rose to take in the night sky: clear and bright with the full moon shining down on them. Oh, what Ratchet would've given for there to be some form of cloud cover. Even a torrential thunderstorm he'd take right now. With a quick shake of his head, he took off, pounding his feet against the grass and dirt as he pushed himself faster.

From behind, Ratchet heard fire from blasters behind him. He didn't dare look back as he took one last step before launching himself forward, rolling behind a building to safety. The lombax rushed to get back up, readying the Plasma Slayer for another shot. He turned and fired, not concerned with where the bullet hit, but simply getting the bullet out there. For his own failed gift Ratchet received successful spades in return. He hid behind the wall again, letting loose a sharp growl as he felt the familiar stings of laser wounds.

Sometimes sixty-five percent was not enough. Ratchet took off down the alleys, making breaks in direction at every turn, yet always keeping the village wall either in front of him or on his right. The firing hail ceased and the lombax assumed that they were on the move again. By this time, Ratchet knew he had to get above them. A couple wall-jumps later and he was on a rooftop. Without a breather, Ratchet got down on one knee and leveled the Plasma Slayer, firing at the first possible sign of movement. It made contact—and Ratchet got moving again, avoiding the incoming fire. He quickly made his way their direction, landing on a roof that was practically on top of them. Taking a couple steps backward, Ratchet took off sprinting, taking only a few steps before bending his knees, vaulting skyward as he performed a frontflip.

He took aim and fired. His efforts were fruitless and he again took more laser fire to his armor. After landing, Ratchet abandoned the rooftops, instead leaping straight for the ground. As he sailed downward, Ratchet emptied another round, taking out his third mark. Upon landing, Ratchet threw the Slayer to his left, the weapon's large bullet impaling the lombax's fourth mark. Without a moment's hesitation, Ratchet turned and threw himself toward his final opponent…

"Stop!"

…when the abrupt command ceased all activity. Ratchet fell to the ground, hands and knees against dirt as guttural noises left his mouth. The last trooper took an involuntary step backward, but was free to look up toward the source of the command. It was here that the trooper saw Balloch behind them with both his hands on his head, trying to focus.

A particularly unsettling growl reminded the trooper of the lombax who was trying his hardest to fight the mind control. A high-pitched yowl was all it took for the trooper to raise his blaster and aim it at the lombax before the pained, yet powerful command of Balloch told him to lower it.

"He's ours," he said at last, weary, arms falling in place as gravity dictated. With his head still bowed, Balloch moved to take off his helmet and drop it next to him, proceeding to rub his forehead. The trooper watched in awe as the lombax quieted, then rose to grab his Plasma Slayer from the corpse of his foe. The large sniper bullet was still lodged in the body of the fallen trooper. Ratchet wiped the blood off the Plasma Slayer and took his spot next to the living trooper—who stood in surprise of what just occurred. In the lombax's eyes one could see a purple sheen in the bright green irises. The pupils had narrowed tremendously, almost becoming invisible beneath the moonlight.

Balloch soon appeared in full combat regalia again.

"Come on, we need to find Dornavan."

His two soldiers complied, heading back toward the village square where they would locate the mage and his men, who were right now facing no better opposition.

 _ **R &C**_

The mage truly wasn't facing any better opposition. Subterfuge was a tactic he could appreciate, especially when facing one who was pragmatic in their fighting style. But that wouldn't stop him from calling it infuriating. Those who confused his location spell were definitely here, interfering with his usual detection methods. Every few seconds, they would appear, dash around Dornavan and his men, giving them the illusion that they were everywhere, then disappear from the approximate area. The mage wasn't fooled, but he couldn't do much about it. The powers used were definitely quantum in origin, but not a perfect match. The residues they left behind made it impossible to discern their exact location.

He already called for his men to stop and hold their position. Levitating a distance above them, Dornavan looked around. Beside the gunfire that occurred on the other side of the village, everything was eerily silent. Either the populous went into hiding or they were long gone, leaving only the few who could oppose them. To the east, most of the village spread out, widening before congesting back to a close. To his immediate left, an empty vein before the village wall held back a darkened forest. Sporadic, rounder, much larger structures dotted the large space north of the mage. They appeared to be silos. To the northeast stood the behemoth building the mage took to be the temple. Before it was a neat cobble path that led to the southeast, away from the mage and his men.

Dornavan shook his head and canceled his spell, making a clean landing on the ground. Specks of dirt and dust clung to his armor as he walked up to the troops.

"Here's the deal," he started, raising a hand to prohibit any questions. "I'm going to need an explosive. Any kind will do."

A trooper unclipped a grenade from his vest and gave it to the mage. Dornavan's other hand took it and he twitched his other hand. A bright silver glow appeared behind them and the troopers turned to find a circular pad.

"Get on," Dornavan commanded, dropping low to dig the grenade through the ground. Dirt worked its way into the little grooves and indents of the grenade. When satisfied with the result, Dornavan summoned water to his hand, submerging the grenade in the controlled sphere of H2O. Next, he punched a hole in the ground and placed the grenade inside, willing the water to disperse. He stood back up and began to levitate. The pad he conjured also followed him upward, taking its place next to him.

"Contact Balloch and tell him to vacate the village interior immediately."

"What for sir?" Someone asked Dornavan. The mage replied not as he threw his hand out, a small red ring in his palm as he launched it toward the grenade. Upon contact a column of blood red light erupted before a dulled, cacophonous explosion reverberated across the ground.

* * *

"Whatishedoing?" Gunak asked in a whisper as they watched Dornavan throw his hand out. Suddenly, a column of light erupted and the ground beneath them vibrated like a wave. The two Crolnan and one Zoni remained upright though they were confused as to what the mage did exactly.

"I do not know but I do not like it," Clank replied. He felt a weird sensation tickling his feet. The Zoni looked down to find the ground had turned to mush. He tried to lift his leg to pull his foot up. It worked, but goop and a loud suction noise were met when Clank went to analyze.

"Quicksand?" Ulthrin asked incredulously, looking over at Clank's foot before he looked down at his own… only to find that they've disappeared.

"…No. This is not quicksand. Although, it seems that Dornavan has changed the earth to a type of mud and sludge mixture. However, it does seem to possess some of the swallowing properties of quicksand."

"Now, I need both of you to fly yourselves out of here and confront Dornavan. I will be with you shortly."

Gunak and Ulthrin nodded, taking their staffs and tapping the other one with it. Blue rings pulsed through their being and both found the slushy ground all but gripping as they slowly began to levitate out.

"Whataboutyousire?" Ulthrin inquired of the Zoni warbot, turning to offer a hand.

"I will be okay," Clank answered calmly. "Remember: keep to the skies; the ground is no longer safe. I am afraid this will have disastrous effects after the battle."

"We'llworryaboutthatlater," Gunak said, adamant, giving a quick nod to Ulthrin who lowered his hand. Together they darted off toward the mage, ready to end this once and for all. Clank watched them go before he reared his head to take in his own missing feet. The strange, muddy earth ate everything below his knees. With a calm focus, Clank tried to lift his right leg up. It wouldn't budge.

Suddenly, bright green light spouted from the robot's side as Clank brought a hand in front of him and pointed downward. In his hand was an orb. He closed his eyes and concentrated. All he needed was to rewind the mud back to solid earth. From there he would be able to lift his lower leg and foot, one at a time, out of the trap.

Wasting no more time, Clank ejected the orb and it came into contact with the ground. A ticking sounded, followed by a methodical tock. In continuous repeat they went as the Zoni witnessed time itself work backward and Dornavan's spell unwound itself. Clank made quick work with freeing himself before he rose into the air. Everything below his knees were caked in grime. The Zoni took a moment to look at his hand where the light and energy were no more. A large grin came over him as he took a moment to appreciate the novelty of such a power.

But the thought went as quickly as it came for Clank looked ahead and remembered that Gunak and Ulthrin went ahead to fight Dornavan. In no time at all, Clank flew off to where his Crolnan allies went, hoping that they were doing alright against the mind-controlling mage.

 _ **R &C**_

The reverberations reached the Observatory underground, much to the confusion and horror of the Astronomer, Terin and the sheltered Crolnan. At first, the Astronomer paused his frenzied typing, only to feel out the quake. It was dangerous he was sure of, but he knew the walls would hold.

He sped from his computer and dashed into the hangar, taking a quick look around. The walls showed no signs of movement or disparity of alignment—as he knew it would. Still, his eyes took in the picture of hundreds of Crolnan, on edge from the sudden earthquake.

"Remain calm," he called out, grabbing everyone's attention, his voice loud as always. The crowd hushed, yet the tension remained. "The walls will hold, just stay here. Don't panic."

With the command spoken, the Astronomer turned away, speeding back into his lab. His face contorted from annoyance as he reached his computer and continued typing again. He input a command and panels opened in the wall to his left, revealing high-tech weaponry from one end of the room to the other.

Terin took a step back to get a better view and took a moment to appraise the view.

"We're taking this with us?" He asked the Astronomer.

"Some of it I am," the answer from the Crolnan came. "Feel free to take what you will."

Terin lowered his eyes to take view of his Praetorian wrench. The double-sided blade still served him well after all these years—it was a gift he wasn't willing to dispose of so quickly.

"I think I'm fine but thank you."

The Astronomer smiled knowingly even though it couldn't be seen from the way he was facing. "Of course. But if you will, see that tripod and telescope in front of you?"

"I do."

"Grab those. That'll be our ticket inside Liege's armada."

Terin's brow rose in question, contorting his face as he turned to scrutinize the Crolnan at the monitors.

"You'll have to trust me," the Astronomer answered, turning toward the line of weaponry. Speeding over to it and using an arm to part a side of his lab coat, he grabbed hold of a gauntlet-esque device with holes in the bottom-face fingertips and clipped it in his coat.

"What's that?" Terin asked as he did what the Astronomer told him, taking the tripod and telescope down from their rack. But first, the lombax put his wrench away onto the back of his armor, above the hex-mount he now wore.

Funny. Ratchet could carry Clank now. He may want to return the hex-mount.

"Oh, this thing?" The Astronomer answered, pulling the lombax from his thoughts. "Well, it's a shield generator."

"Nifty," Terin answered, holding each item in each arm, shifting his weight as he watched the Astronomer go about his selections. Next was a long, rifle-type with four barrels on the end. Terin nodded approvingly as it was grabbed and put it in the parted coat.

"Sad thing about it is," the Crolnan said, anticipating Terin's thoughts, much to the lombax's annoyance. "It takes a tad too much room."

"Can you stop that?" Terin asked as politely as he could. "You're as bad as Nathaniel."

"...Naaaa."

A hard stare was all the Astronomer received for his jest. A stare to which he didn't see as he reached for another weapon. This time he used his other hand to pick it up while using the other hand to part his lab coat. The weapon in question was larger handblaster. Terin remained passive as the Astronomer put it away. He dropped his coat and turned to face Terin.

"Is that everything?" The lombax asked.

"Almost," the Astronomer answered, turning to face a door that led deeper into the Observatory underground. "I still need one more item," the Astronomer finished, smiling when Diminuel entered the room from that very door. She carried a satchel in her left hand.

"Here you are uncle, the solitary time crystals." The Astronomer caught with ease the tossed satchel. He quickly slung it over his shoulder, draping it in a way that the strap crossed over his chest and upper back.

"I must thank you again dear niece," Astronomer said, nodding to her. "Alas, we have all but the time to do so." He turned to Terin. The lombax's brow was raised in peculiar question. "What were you expecting?" The crolnan asked, the slightest of reproaches audible. Terin shook his head with a smile, catching every shade of the mock accusatory question thrown at him. "Nothing really. It's just that, of any time I could have learned that, it's now."

Uncle and niece exchanged glances, but it was only the Astronomer who shrugged as he told Terin that they now have everything.

"You're not taking your staff with you?" Diminuel asked.

"No. I'm not," came the rather quick and sharp answer. "Terin, the platform is ready. Go on ahead, I'll catch up."

When the lombax complied, the Astronomer turned to Diminuel. "Looks like I do have time to thank you," he said, smiling. He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, conveying in silence a thank you that was both heard and appreciated.

"You added that special rejuvenation serum like I asked?"

"I did."

Astronomer smiled doubly. "You're a life-saver, dearest."

Yet, his expression turned sour as he continued. "I'm sorry we're all in this mess."

"If anything, we're the ones who got **you** into this mess. But you're welcome anyway," she said. The life in her face and the grace in her words gave the Astronomer ease as she told him not to worry.

Jovial chortles replied for the Astronomer, but he refused to leave it at that as he answered, "You remind me more and more of your mother with each passing day." The wistful linger in his tone left as soon as he released his grip on Diminuel's shoulder. "You better go take shelter with the others. You know what to do should the Observatory be compromised, right?"

"I do."

"Then for now, I leave this place in your hands."

He watched her turn to leave and soon enter through the door to the hangar. Accomplished, the Astronomer dashed for the platform, passing the advanced gear on the wall, only for it to catch his eye when he passed by a relic. The Astronomer slowed down at once, stopping before he turned around to stare at the sight. An ornate, dead staff met his eyes.

 _"_ _E_ _ethal," a cold voice rang out._ _Eethal looked up defiantly_ _with staff in hand_ _. Now was the moment of reckoning. And he fully accepted responsibility._ _Cthruis_ _stood before him… and by that extent the rest of the_ _Fongoids_ _._ _Only one_ _Fongoid_ _remained unjudged am_ _idst_ _the guilty._ _B_ _ut his crimes were not one of_ _altering time, for he had been quite moderate in his us_ _e_ _. No, when he saw the judgments passed_ _upon his kin_ _,_ _Eethal_ _openly blasphemed the Gift and the judgments_ _Cthruis_ _passed. He insulted_ _the Agent Of Time_ _, and_ _c_ _alling him a fool,_ _he told_ _Cthruis_ _to_ _fix time if he was so powerful._

 _Cthruis looked down at the Fongoid, shaking his head with disdain as he floated toward the dissenter. He dropped to the ground in front of Eethal. The fongoid in question was of the norm for his kind, but Cthruis wasn't all the much taller. Donned in shirt and pants of a dark blue variety with white highlights at the collar and cuffs, he also wore a large white cowl that covered his face. It prevented anyone from seeing the striking sky-blue stare beneath._

 _A hand from Cthruis reached forth and imprinted its thumb on the head of Eethal._

 _"Maybe this can bring you understanding."_

 _Immediately, the world froze and blurred around the two. In a flash, they were transported into a long tunnel that seem to stretch on indefinitely. A mixture of blue hues lit up the tunnel and all around Cthruis and Eethal was scenery. Eethal was quick to perceive that it quickly fell behind them, giving the illusion that they were moving forward when in reality they stood in place._

 _"Look around you," Cthruis commanded, still with his thumb pressed against Eethal's head. Eethal did as he was told, finding the scenes showing instances throughout time where choices were made. Choices that either made or ended friendships, choices that built or destroyed empires, choices that permanently shifted course of events into directions unfathomable. Cthruis threw his head toward the right, and the time tunnel slowed to a stop._

 _The Agent Of Time removed his thumb from the Fongoid's head, commanding him to look to the right. Eethal turned to find devastation in his wake: two titanic powers clashed without mercy, unleashing sheer power that shook Eethal to his core. Terrified, Eethal turned on Cthruis, demanding to know the meaning of this._

 _"You claimed in your anger and defiance that I was powerful enough to fix time. You were wrong. Deadly wrong. That is not within me." A quick but furious look from Cthruis made Eethal turn to face the ruin before them. A magenta energy cannon the collective size of ten Cragmite Warriors barreled its way down to a red and black figure on the scarred planet surface. The figure summoned magnificent auras around him, darting toward the cannon with a vengeance. Upon collision, white light was the result, rendering the scene moot as Eethal felt himself pulled away._

 _Blinking, the fongoid exhaled a breath he didn't know he had and turned to face Cthruis._

 _"What was that?"_

 _"That—" Cthruis paused, looking toward the walls of the time tunnel. "—is the culmination of the tragedy which your people take a third of the blame."_

 _"Third?" Eethal asked._

 _"Indeed. The mistake of the Fongoids has divided our ranks. My brother has taken advantage of the great calamity in the universe to wage a battle with my other brother. He will lose, but this is only the beginning. It is what he wants."_

 _Cthruis shook his head, slightly inclining it downward. "Another third will be started by the lombaxes."_

 _At the mention of said species, the tunnel started up again, moving backward until it reached a world of darkness. Funnels of light illuminated the area, revealing to both the outsiders ice. Stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere, refracting yellow beams all around. Cthruis and Eethal could see slim figures carefully looking around, ever-aware of their surroundings before pressing on. The light also revealed that their clothing and gear added much width to their forms as lombaxes better came into the duo's view._

 _"What's going on?" Eethal asked._

 _"Today marks the final years of the lombaxes in this dimension," Cthruis answered solemnly._

 _They watched as a lombax lowered himself and looked over a wide berth of ice. He called the team over, pulling out a small, steel, stick-like object from his belt. At its tip was a two pronged fork and at the bottom was a handle which was grasped firmly by the lombax. His thumb pressed into the handle and the fork began to glow red. He stuck the fork into the ice, watching as it began to melt._

 _He stood up as the rest of the team finally assembled beside him._

 _"What did you find, Port?" A brown lombax with a thick beard asked._

 _"I'm not sure, Asper sir, but there's something in the ice. I'm sure you can see how the colors caught my attention."_

 _"Everything gets your attention, Port," another lombax spoke up, poking Port in the shoulder._

 _"Make sure I don't notice the next loose ice patch then," Port spoke up, answering with a tinge of sharp reproach. His knack may distract him at times, but it had saved them on more occasions than most of the team would be willing to admit. By then the ice began to revert to water and then to steam as the sphere of ice receded, revealing to all the lombaxes a small, dry, throbbing sphere of disease-colored membrane. Across the membrane were solid, lifeless circles of white. Whatever it was, it disgusted the exploration team. They all took a step back._

 _"What do we have here, professor?" Asper inquired, turning to face a strawberry and green lombax. The lombax stepped up, looking down at Port's mysterious finding. He turned and shifted his backpack on him and kneeled down. The professor opened his pack and rummaged through it, eventually procuring a handheld device which the professor then pointed at the sphere. The device hummed to life and shot a blue light which scanned the sphere. After finishing, the device lit up and the professor made quick work of its findings._

 _The team noted it when the professor quickly shifted his eyes from his scanner to the sphere then back to his scanner. Asper spoke up at that moment. "What is it?"_

 _"It's an egg," the professor answered immediately. "A cragmite egg."_

 _Silence pervaded the team, leaving a sort of awe-rendering imprint on them as they stood before what could be the last of their sworn enemies._

 _"Well," Port began, moving to pull out his heating fork when the professor stopped him, saying that the ice kept him suspended and the fork was providing the only source of heat. "Remove that and you'll kill it."_

 _"It's a cragmite! Should we even keep it alive?!"_

 _The professor remained silent, knowing all-too-well that the question was left on everyone's mind, including his. "I don't know," the professor began. "But we were under orders to return to the surface with anything of interest. I think this definitely qualifies."_

 _"It's a cragmite!"_

 _"I know. But it's still an egg, it's harmless."_

 _"I don't like it one bit," another lombax said. Other voices rose in agreement. "What if it hatches?"_

 _"Even if it did, what threat would a single cragpole pose to us? At most, only three cragpoles can be hatched from one egg. No way this egg is holding anymore than one. And even then we're all seeing the same thing, this egg is tiny. At best, we're looking at a runt." Here the professor moved closer, squatting down as he pointed to several of the white circles. "Here, these allow for oxygen to enter the egg. The closer a cragmite is to hatching, the more and more opaque these become. While heat is a necessity, it's the oxygen that matters most."_

 _"And at worst?" Another lombax spoke up._

 _The professor looked back at the one who asked and shook his head, smiling. "We'll have nothing to worry about."_

 _"So you're saying that the egg is going to hatch?"_

 _"Believe me, that's what surprising. Normally, the egg would grow, but these circles tell a different tale. The ice must have acted as both incubator and stasis. Now that we've broken it, the life of this cragmite is our responsibility… regardless of what anyone may think." The professor looked down at his device, staring intently at the screen._ "I wonder what kind of cragmite is in here."

 _"Well then," Asper began, grabbing a pick from belt. "I want some space heaters set up around the egg. The rest of you, grab your picks, let's get this egg out. We'll take it to the surface and see what the Expedition wants done."_

 _Cthruis and Eethal watched as the scene blurred before fading away, leaving the two of them in the tunnel again._

 _"That egg is taken in by the lombaxes, who deem that the cragmite inside shouldn't be punished for the crimes of its people. The egg soon hatches, and the lombaxes name the cragpole Tachyon. Percival Tachyon."_

 _The scene in front of them shifted to images of the said cragmite's life. Days spent learning amidst the lombaxes. As time went by, the cragpole grew and became smarter, challenging even the brainiest of lombaxes. But with intelligence came curiosity. And with curiosity came questions. And with questions came answers._

 _Answers that would start a day of reckoning._

 _"Percival Tachyon, in his indignation, spit upon the pity and mercy shown by the lombaxes," Cthruis started suddenly, watching the scene shift to a low lit room. Tachyon shifted about, reading text after text with pencil in hand. He worked tirelessly, devising schematic after blueprint after plan, improving on the technology of the lombaxes. This was the people who had bested his own. Why… if only he had been there, things would have been different. He could have improved the technology of his fellows. They would have vanquished the lombaxes. And the universe would be under their iron-fisted rule._

 _"They had judged fairly: why should an innocent cragpole suffer the same fate as his people?" Cthruis continued, watching still as the scene shifted again. This time, Tachyon sat upon his walking throne, overlooking a swarm of panicking lombaxes, fleeing before him and his Drophyds. Surrounding them all was the city that burned. A broken mess, just like those who fled before him and his army. Insidious laughter escaped from the lips of the cragmite. Oh, how he was going to remember this day. The day when he would begin to bring back his people, all by taking vengeance on the ones who banished them._

 _"But would you look at it all?"_

 _Eethal did... in silent horror._

 _"_ _Again, you claimed in your anger and defiance that I should fix time. I can't. Not alone._ _This is a problem bigger than us all. It will take everyone to fix it._ _"_

The Astronomer shook his head. He swallowed, though it was unnecessary. Closing his eyes, he bowed his head.

" _The truth._ _That's what all this will lead to._ "

In silence he stayed, though he knew he ought to get moving. However, Diminuel's question came up again. His answer was curt. They both knew the history. They **all** knew… but it was Diminuel with whom he told of **everything**. Every little thing that Cthruis both told and shown him. It was shocking to hear at first. But that was eons ago. A thing of the past. Yet, by looking at the relic before him, the past came alive again. As vivid as it was as if it occurred in the present.

 _"_ _You, Eethal, innocent yet guilty._ _For your_ _crime_ _, I give you truth._ _A burden for eternity._ _The stars will map out the story. Your office: watch them. Put together the truth so that we can put to right what has gone wrong."_

And from that day, the Astronomer, as he called himself now, looked to the sky every night, watching the story unfold right before his eyes. What happened. Why it happened. And what would be the results.

None of it was pretty. Before the end there would be hardships, troubled times where trust seemed to die and friends were in short supply. The universe would groan under the weight of the actions of the few who could do. But it was only those few who could stand against the other few who had already done.

Before the end there would be blood. There would be tears. And there would be the moment of truth. In the reflection of his staff Eethal saw it all. He glanced back to the platform. Terin was waiting. And time wasn't on their side. Eethal looked back to the staff. Reaching his hands for it, he whispered, "I guess I am taking the staff, dearest niece."

Once in his grasp, a shudder of power coursed through his arms and up into his head. His vision blurred and his eyes closed on instinct, as if something came dangerously close to them. When they opened, specs, like miniature dots of green appeared. This was his 'Mark of the Crolnan'. The truth, the story that unfolded in the stars was mapped in his eyes.

With the dead staff in his hands, the Astronomer turned and dashed onto the platform. The platform quickly rose into the ceiling where it sealed itself up, reforming the giant steps of the main observatory room. When the Astronomer appeared, Terin nodded to him and briskly ascended the steps with the telescope and tripod in hands with the deftest grace and agility. "So you did take the staff," he commended once he reached the top step and landed next to the Astronomer.

He gave Terin a look. "Could you set up the Quantum Scope?" The Astronomer asked.

"Sure."

Terin saw the look and knew he had won, though at this point there was no intention on his part for making any sort of snide remark. As Terin maneuvered each part of the Quantum Scope in his hands, he moved to the center of the platform and set down the two objects before taking the tripod and setting it up. Afterward, Terin grabbed the telescope and attached it to the tripod, situating it so that it rested pointing up in a diagonal in front of them.

"Is that it?" The lombax asked, turning his head to the Crolnan. The Astronomer nodded. He walked up to the Quantum Scope and flicked a switch on. A bluish-cyan light began to glow as the device began to hum. Both aspects plateaued and the Astronomer said that they were ready to go.

"Really?"

"Yep, but first—" The Astronomer clapped his hands and suddenly, the top-half circumference of the Observatory began to fade away. "—that should lessen the chance for any kind of interference."

Terin looked toward the nighttime sky. The stars welcomed the soon-to-be visitors, glistening as Terin reached for his Praetorian wrench. Holding it at his side, Terin extended the shaft, a hint of surprise in his eyes as he inhaled. His tail twitched in place as he exhaled, sagging his shoulders as if some heavy burden left him.

This was it.

The Astronomer's calculations didn't change. Without a second immunity to mind-control, Clank could—and would—have to handle Dornavan, leaving everyone else susceptible to the insidious ability. But who knows how good of a multi-tasker the mage was? If either Dol Gruun, Gunak, or Ulthrin were taken, it wouldn't be long before all the good guys fell. So, after the ritual, it was decided for everyone to evacuate and take shelter in the Astronomer's Observatory.

Elder Gruun and a few dependable folk stood at the temple, waiting for when the main force inevitably arrives. Vanguards and/or scouting parties were to be handled at the discretion of the galactic duo, Gunak, and Ulthrin. This left Terin and the Astronomer to mount a rescue for Nathaniel and Talwyn, all the while hoping that, should they succeed, together they can go take out Liege's fleet, leaving any forces the Cragmite sent stranded on Jenavi.

"Ready to go?" Terin heard the Astronomer ask.

The lombax looked at him, giving the Crolnan his adamant reply.

"Then let's go." The Astronomer reached for the Quantum Scope and put his hand in the way of the objective lens. Then suddenly, much to the lombax's surprise, the Astronomer started to lose his physical appearance as his body began to fade away, forming into little particles that the Scope pulled in and sent flying into space.

The lombax tilted his head as a queer look of understanding dawned on him. "So that's how it works, cool!" He shrugged as he reached his hand in front of the Quantum Scope, disappearing just as the Astronomer had. Terin felt a strange, disconnected sensation wash over him as he saw his own body dissemble itself. Two odd, unconnected thoughts flowed through his mind as he felt his being pulled in by the Scope before he was launched into space.

When they arrive, all heck was going to break loose.


	30. The Final Wage Pt 2

Balloch, his last remaining trooper, and Ratchet, all stood atop the roof of a crolnan building, looking over the area. They had felt the vibrations caused by what they assumed to be the mage once they realized what exactly the vibrations were forerunners for.

Once they realized that they were more or less stuck in the mud, Balloch cursed the mage before he was contacted via radio transmission. Seems like either the mage was slow on explanation or the troops were slow on the up take. In any case, the Fell-Enk commander gave an agitated reply and signed off, looking around for what the three of them could use to get out of their current predicament.

When all the commander saw were buildings, he was glad his mind brought forth a suitible answer, though it only brought immeadiate comfort. After accomplishing something as strenuous as mind control, it wasn't the best idea to try and use another mental power again, especially one that required overcoming more than the normal resistances any psychic could testify to. At the top, Balloch got down on one knee and inhaled deeply. He moved to take off his helmet again as a heavy exhale left him.

Balloch rubbed his temples, pressing his fingers against his head in the vain hope to subside the headache that grew like cancer in his mind.

"What are your orders?" The trooper spoke up, watching with intent when the Fell-Enk seemed to be doing better (for his hands left his head). For some time there was no answer, but the silence was broken by the lombax. "The center of the village is just ahead. To the right is the temple. A veritable cache of resistance stands there, waiting for when the main force arrives." Here, the lombax pointed to the monolithic building that dominated the village in the night. The trooper looked to Ratchet before facing where he pointed.

"How many strong?"

"Anywhere from thirteen to seventeen men. I wasn't there to hear how many Crolnan would be there exactly but I know it is not all too many."

"...Interesting," the deep but weary voice of Balloch sounded. He could have learned that by a simple Telepathy search but even that was nothing short of nauseous. Mind control and telekinesis—it birthed a sneaking kind of appreciation for the power it was and what could be done when wielded to its fullest potential. But technology alone could never match up to the pure form that was any psychic ability from the realm of the mind.

The Fell-Enk shook his head, slowly, for fear of making his headache worse. After that, moving with visible effort, Balloch stood again and addressed the lombax. "Ratchet, how does one get into the temple?"

"The only way I know of is through the front door."

"And I take it that it's defended by this 'cache of resistance'."

"Yes."

"Is there any way you can fool them?"

"If I have your permission to speak frankly sir, I don't think so."

Balloch took to this information well, but he still didn't like that the temple had only one way in. It was foolhardy to try and siege it alone, even if one of them had a sniper weapon. The commander turned to his other trooper and ordered him to contact the main force and ask them when they would arrive.

"Yes sir." With that, the trooper pulled out a communicator and began to talk to the man on the other end. Together, Balloch and Ratchet listened in, learning that they were only an eighth of a kilocubit out. That would mean at worst they were ten minutes out. To Balloch, it wasn't a matter of holding out, it was a matter of time. So far, things have been shaky at best. The defeat of Ratchet meant that only Clank, Terin, and any Crolnan ally they had were the only forces left to contend with before Liege could go in search of Travel The Days.

And right now, with the ground turned to some form of quickmud, Balloch assumed that things weren't going so well for the mage and his team. In fact, the lack of any kind of spectacle was worthy of note.

Balloch stared off into the distance. From where he was the other end of the village was in sight. So... where was the magic that would signal at least some form of resistance had taken place? If Dornavan was defeated then that only spelled trouble for them. It might even mean the end if... Maseox!

Where was his snide, blue-skinned face now? He should have been there already, meeting Dornavan's group from the east. If both Dornavan and Maseox were defeated then it just might be best to fall back and work out a new assault plan. One that perhaps had less stealth and more brunt.

Balloch sighed and chided himself for such cowardice on his part. If they couldn't meet the Crolnan in the temple then they would just go scope out the situation for Dornavan, and perhaps in the process find out what happened with Maseox and his men.

"Sir," the trooper began. "I have contact from the advance force you asked for from Commander Maseox."

Balloch remained unperturbed as he posed his query. "And?"

"They were making progress but have too seemed to catch interference from the mage's actions."

"Then it obviously means that whoever attacked Dornvan is the true threat. Tell them to break off their march here and tell them to double back to Maseox's last known postition. From there they are to find out what's going on. Tell them to watch but do not engage unless engaged first. We'll meet them as soon as we can."

All of this was heard, translated, and conveyed.

"Good, I'll tell him right away. Yes. You take care too." The connection was broken and the trooper put away his communicator, telling Balloch all that the trooper on the other end said.

"Then we need to get moving." Balloch looked around them. No buildings were close enough to get them where they wanted to go. The commander suppressed an agitated groan when he turned to Ratchet and the soldier. "It looks like another bout of telekinesis is in order," the commander said, closing his eyes. He focused, and the Psych-Band reacted, surrounding the three of them in a purple aura. At first, the three of them began to inch their way into the air, with Balloch raising a hand to his temple, rubbing again so as to push the pain away.

When the three of them were finally in the air, on the invisible command of the Fell-Enk, they began at once to move to where Dornavan was, hoping that all their fears were only that... and nothing more.

 _ **R &C**_

Dornavan and his band left the area when two Crolnan came from nowhere, delivering a dizzying number of blows. Blows only prevented due to shields the mage conjured up for him and the men he was with. Together, they now hovered above the village walls, armed and ready for when the two Crolnan would show their faces again.

" _So you now want to come out of hiding,_ " Dornavan thought in anger. In his hands were large orbs of lightning. Each one had enough juice to power carriers and cruisers. Large segments of cities could subsist on the energy each of these sphere of magical electricity contained. It was foolish to get hit by any of these. And perhaps that, reasoned the mage, was why they now hid again. The Ribunis' senses were in overdrive. Every subtle shift in the breeze, every inhale taken and exhale given, every emotion that ran through him and his compatriots, every way the silence around them laughed; he could feel it all around him. Nothing would get past him now.

But his patience was wearing thin. At least the Leviathan came and actually wanted to engage in an open showdown. But whoever these Crolnan thought they were, they would soon find out it was a terrible idea to make Dornavan angry.

The mage pulled his arms in, forming them in an 'X', with the orbs still in his melded grip. His whole body tensed as static formed, leaping across his armor as an aura developed over his being. With one last look around, Dornavan gave a scream of release and unfolded his arms, unleashing cannons of lightning. The aura suddenly expanded, giving off furious sparks that electified the air around him. The cannons bore toward the ground with ferocity. But when the dual attacks were to make contact with the ground, the mage could see that something prevented their contact.

Bright cyan light illuminated the area, not enough to blind anyone in the vicinity but enough to show that something transpired below them. Dornavan canceled the spell and barged down, hoping to catch any of the Crolnan who he assumed had somehow caught his lightning.

He was lucky... somewhat.

Dornavan stopped quickly, throwing a lightning blast in the direction of a fleeting purple form. It made contact. And the mage watched the crolnan crash on the muddy ground. As Dornavan raised a hand, about to cast another spell, he became concious to another presence quickly closing in. Dornavan turned, changing his spell in the motion before casting an explosive fireball toward the fast-approaching being. The mage sensed a change in the attacker's direction before the attacker turned and bounded on Dornavan again.

The mage lifted a gauntlet to block the swing of an incoming staff. But when the staff made contact, a weird sensation flooded over Dornavan. He watched his opponent, only to find that when the crolnan left his field of vision did any idea of what happened sound off in his mind. His eyes grew wide in response and he called for power from inside himself. A frenzied rush spurred his limbs to motion and Dornavan was able to turn toward his attacker. It was too late though, for a heavy slam sent him careening down into the mud.

The crolnan lowered his staff and pointed it down to where Dornavan sank. He summoned energy to the staff before shooting it as a sready beam that barreled its way to the mage. A quick spell rendered the attack moot as the mud melded together, forming a rock-hard defense that shielded Dornavan. In that moment, the crolnan was joined by his fallen kin before they heard the rapid fire of blaster weapons getting louder and seemingly nearing them.

They dispersed immeadiately, heading to the troopers, ready to dispatch them quickly and cleanly. However, no one expected it when two large hands of mud and earth burst from the ground with a powerful rumble, grasping the crolnan fighters with surprising speed, entrapping them. A hole in the ground opened up and out came the mage, flaring a powerful brown and green aura. His armor was layered in all hues of the former. And his arms were crossed against his chest in anger. With a nod, the two giant hands squeezed their captives.

However, the mage did not expect it when two slashes of cyan light burst from the hands. In mere moments, the top-half of the earth hands collasped on themselves. Out from the debris rose the two crolnan before they disappeared from view.

Dornavan watched them disperse. The one who attacked him before rushed him. And his friend moved toward the troopers. Dornavan believed that the shields he gave them could hold against the crolnan's attacks but, with the ability the incoming crolnan just now showcased, he was beginning to have doubts. He broke off his train of thought as the crolnan swiped at him with his staff, carving a trail of luminescense that told Dornavan everything he now already knew.

The power he felt on the flight here—it wasn't it, but the similarites were there. The Crolnan had the ability to manipulate the flow of time on their surroundings. And whatever was the actual source of power, he **did not** want to fight it.

Dornavan wouldn't admit it, but he didn't believe he had it in him to fight such a power.

The swipe missed as Dornavan floated out of range, throwing his hands out for another lightning attack. Cannons pummeled out of his hands and raced toward their opponent, forcing the crolnan to block the attack with his staff. Livid energy collided with the weapon and yet was held off from its intended target. Dornavan ended his attack and vanished without a breath between motions, only to appear suddenly next to the crolnan, sending a roundhouse to his foe. The crolnan simply turned his staff and prepared to block it, knowing that physical contact would only slow the mage down, granting him many oppurtunites to get several good blows in.

Yet, the crolnan never would have guessed the mage's attack was just a farce, flickering as it did before it disappeared on contact, and the real attack came when a pillar of mud rose up and grappeled his feet, sudden sensation telling him that he was being pulled toward the ground with a terrific force. He was brought below ground where a covering blocked his only way out, bathing his new prison black. Movement underground told the crolnan of something bad to happen. Gripping his staff tightly, calling forth for a brighter glow, he willed time to slow around him.

Such a force kindly obeyed, and the fast-approaching rumbles gave way to distant and dull vibrations. That bought him some much needed time but it wouldn't free him. Now, holding his staff even tighter, calling for even more light, the crolnan summoned as much energy as he could. Wisps slowly began to form and take shape, crawling their way around the crystal heads. The brightness grew with the quantity of twirling energy tufts, banishing the darkness completely. Upon ascending the realm of blinding, the crolnan drove his staff horizontal, forcing the ends into the thick mud.

With a grunt, the crolnan pushed his hands opposite of the trap's walls. A pulse burst forth and ran across the underground, quieting the rumble to his great relief. But that was only the half of it—and he didn't have to wait long for what he desired.

Like Clank before who reverted the mud back to solid earth, so did the crolnan do likewise, only this time to a much larger area. Something those above ground were to surely notice.

 _ **R &C**_

After imprisoning his foe in the prison he made, Dornavan took no time getting back into the swing of things as he rushed his next opponent, making contact with a punch that pummeled against the hole made in between the crolnan's horns. The effects were immeadiate and satisfying. Dornavan watched as his foe fell toward the earth with a thump and a 'splorch', letting go of his staff upon initial landing. The mage vanished again before reappearing above ground next to the the staff. It had already begun to sink as Dornavan squatted and lifted the staff out. He examined the caked weapon before his mask lifted to take in sight of the struggling crolnan.

" _It's tough to take a stand when there isn't ground to stand on,_ " thought the mage as he lifted his knee and brought the staff down against it. It snapped against his plate armor so easily one would have thought it was a twig. In that moment, the life in the staff's crystals died. Dornavan tossed the broken weapon aside, watching as his quickmud begin its devouring work.

But what happened afterward gave the mage pause. A quaint feeling struck him, and waves of energy rolled across the groumd beneath him, grabbing his attention as he followed it to the village wall. Stupefied, he turned to locate the source of the strange occurance, eyes first gazing over to where the ground swallowed the staff, wondering if it was a mistake to sunder the weapon. But he didn't expect what he saw when he still found the staff above ground, as if it had been regurgitated. His eyes widened in surprise as the dark mud began to revert back to the light ground it used to be. And to top it all off, a figure punched through the now-dry earth to the mage's right, revealing a tunic-garbed, purple-skinned being with a posture that indicated he was ready for round two.

"Enough of this!" A steady voice rang clear, grabbing the attention of everyone in proximity. Dornavan, the troopers (still on their platform and inside their shield), and their two foes looked in whatever direction was necessary in order to see Clank descend upon them.

"Clank! Gladyoushowedup! Iguessweweren'tabletotakedownthemageafterall. He'ssuregivingusafight."

Beneath his mask, the suprise on Dornavan's face hadn't subsided one bit. Instead, it multiplied, and it brought with itself a dawn of understanding to the mage.

The Zoni robot was graced with an aura of brillaint green, matching his two large optics that communicated acknowledgement to his ally before they turned on the mage, unblinking as the crolnan spoke something to him.

But the expression changed suddenly when Clank seemed to hear something that didn't register—at least that is what Dornavan believed.

* * *

"I'mbeginningtosuspectthathedoesn'thaveaPsych-Bandafterall. Eitherthatorheiscertainlygoingtoalotoftroubletryingtolureusintoafalsesenseofsecuity. Whatdoyouthink?"

Clank's expression leveled after running this through his processors. He whispered to Gunak, hoping that the Ribunis didn't have such great hearing. "I believe he does not. However, that leads to the question of who does then? And where are they?"

"HaveyoutriedgettingintocontactwithRatchet?"

"I have not. Although anything could have happened to him, we have to keep our mind on the objective before us."

"Ofcourse."

* * *

Dornavan watched the exchange, minding it insofar as it gave him time to think.

Time to think was time to plan.

Time to plan was time to decide.

Time to decide was time to act.

Time to act was time to win.

The essence of a Zoni, the ancient beings as old as the power which they commanded, lay pure and bare before the mage in a quiet yet dignifed manner. The power was like a planet. A planet didn't yell or scream or make flashy moves. It remained motionless as one gazed at it, its gigantic size a testament to its presence and force in the universe. Clank's aura was the same. It stood there, calm and passive, but sturdy and monumental also. It only moved as Clank moved, mimicing the Zoni's motions as if it were clothing that fit perfectly.

Dornavan lowered his arms to his sides, bending them at the elbow before slowly levitating back toward his men. Upon reaching them, their shield opened up, allowing the mage access. He floated in and the shield resealed itself. Still with his sight glued to his opponents, Dornavan spoke hastily to the troops.

"Alright, we don't have a lot of time and I'm about to be outnumbered. I'd rather not have you in the crossfire as well. I'm going to lower the platform and shield. Once we reach ground, run. Run as fast as you can. None of you will have much time. And if you're able, take the crolnan whose staff I broke as a bargaining chip should your situation warrant it. I would try and make it back out of the village, try to meet up with the main force and explain to them what's gone down. It might be high time we tear this village apart."

The troops nodded at the command, no one speaking more than a simple reply. Dornavan willed the platform down and it responded with haste. It landed next to where the second crolnan tore ground from the mage's punch. But it seemed that the crolnan had gone to join his allies, unarmed though he was.

Dornavan's men left the lowered platform immeadiately, running toward the village center where they would then turn south and leave through the open gates. With the sound of retreating footsteps, Dornavan silently called for the wind to blow around him. The invisble element responded, fluttering his cape and ruffeling his hood as he raised his eyes to take in the three flying entities: two crolnan and one Zoni.

The mage was unsure if staves were a source of power for the crolnan and he would admit that the current circumstances weren't optimal for a test run. But now that he knew of the temporal manipulation the staves were capable of accomplishing, Dornavan knew that caution must remain with him... and not thrown into the wind, called for or not.

Slowly, the mage floated into the air, coming to rest on the same plane as Gunak, Ulthrin, and Clank. Ever-so-slightly jutting his chin outward and raising his head just a tiny notch, Dornavan called out to his opponents. "Are you ready to begin?!"

The unarmed crolnan answered for the trio. "Areyou?!"

No answer could make its way back; no quip could be thrown their way. For in the split second of silence between the 'oo' sound of 'u' and what would have been the Ribunis' reply, a solitary ring sang through the air, robbing every need to say anything. The ring sang only one song, leaving its ghastly high note in the ears and audio receptors of everyone there. Three pairs of widened eyes looked to who the tune was dedicated as he fell to the earth, face pierced and marred in red.

"Gunak!" Ulthrin cried, dashing toward the ground to catch the body of his brother-in-arms. The limpless form crumpled upon being caught. Gunak's staff fell to the ground from his lifeless grip. Ulthrin looked for the wound, finding it a lodged piece of work that entered the head—leaving a cruel and gruesome mark. However, from the angle of entry, the bullet indented the bone where the horns came out of Gunak's head, indicating that it didn't have enough force to puncture through completely. But that only made it worse.

Without thinking, Ulthrin fell to his knees and pulled out an arm from under Gunak so he could reach for his friend's staff. He closed it in his grip and pulled it over the fallen body. Ulthrin shook the staff, forcing the initial shock and waxing grief to flood his arms and into the staff, summoning powerful cyan light that filled the air with ticking.

Clank looked onto the scene in abject horror. Suspended in the air, the Zoni watched the light engulf the area, hoping that whatever Ulthrin was doing, it wasn't too late to save Gunak. He didn't know when his head turned away, or that he wanted to look away from the bloody scene, which so much reminded him of Ratchet and the Clock, but when his eyes found the source of the bullet that grievously injured Ulthrin, Clank's processors came to a screeching halt.

Standing on a building not so far from them stood Ratchet with his Plasma Slayer in hand, aiming it at the two crolnan. Towering over him was Balloch, donned in midnight blue armor. And lastly, next to them both was a trooper in combat vestments, aiming a blaster rifle at the Zoni himself.

"Balloch?" Came the surprised voice of the mage. Clank gave a sideways look at the mage, taking in the revelation that Dornavan was just about as shocked as he was with a strange sense of relief. It seemed that Dornavan was ready to engage with the three of them in an open showdown, but Ratchet interrupted by shooting a bullet into Gunak's head.

But how?

No... more importantly, why?

The image of a Psych-Band instantly invaded the Zoni's thoughts. If Dornavan didn't have one, then that meant Balloch could very well...

Suddenly, in a flash, it all made sense. And something skipped in his system as a result. As if whatever occured took over and responded to the morbid realization for Clank. He unknowingly narrowed his optics at the Fell-Enk commander as a feverish anger took hold of him. With a pitched cry that sounded hoarse and choked behind emotion, Clank jumped to Balloch, appearing in front of him before anyone could percieve that he disappeared. The Zoni summoned orbs of bio-energy in his grip and pressed them against the Fell-Enk's chest.

It was here that Dornavan shook off the lethargy of watching and made his move, making a beeline toward Clank. But that same familiar slowing effect from before made itself known as Dornavan could only watch in increasing apprehension as Balloch was sent inching away from the Zoni as his armor started to fade away.

Before the two figures whose speeds they could manipulate, only they could witness as Clank's attack started to wither Balloch away, turning his entire being into dust. With eyes wide and with a sudden spawning of dread, Dornavan willed more magic to fuel his speed, seeing loud and clear the fact that Clank meant business. The mage watched as Clank turned on the trooper and placed an orb on him as well—only to witness the same thing happen as before. Despite the slowing effects Clank put upon the area, a supernatural adrenaline raced through Dornavan's veins, making him able to reach the Zoni as he turned in order to do the same to the mage.

Shock was the expression on Clank's face as Dornavan's fist pounded the Zoni's face. Clank flew like a cannonball through the village, crashing through multiple buildings as he eventually landed on the ground some distance away.

And it came as news to Dornavan when the slowing sensation departed, leaving the mage with a twitch of a smile before he sensed movement below him. The mage looked down to find Ulthrin about to club him with Gunak's staff. Instantly, the mage backed out of the attacking arc range, taking the briefest moment to look behind Ulthrin at the ground below the both of them.

Blood adorned the upper body of the Gunak. Looks like the staff wasn't able to save him after all. And now came the reckoning veangeance that so blinded many of those who hurt.

" _A wasted shame,_ " thought Dornavan as he kept up an effort in avoiding the attacks of his foe, who struck about wildly in anger. Despite such chaotic and unpredictable movements, Dornavan was forced to keep his full attention on the attacks, lest he get hit by one of them and be slowed down again for sure. One thing he noticed however, was that the staff's slowing ability was a tier below what Clank could do. In every sense of the word, Clank was more powerful than Dornavan was. He'd take solace in the fact that the robot was down, but he ultimately knew that his attack wouldn't remove the Zoni from play.

He had little time left. And as Ulthrin missed him again, Dornavan stuck his hand out and grabbed hold of the staff. " _Time to turn this around._ "

 _ **R &C**_

Deafening booms made his head dizzy. Clank rose a hand to his head, tenderly rubbing it while waiting for his system to catch up with him. It had been awhile since he'd been hit that hard before, but even with a trouble-seeking lombax, the pain felt during those times seemed mild in comparison to now. And they never messed him up this badly before.

As he tried to sit up, images flashed in his memory banks. He remembered dirt, hearing the cocking of guns, hasty footsteps, a hail of lasers, commanding tones and steady voices. Blinking his optics, Clank looked about his surroundings, struggling through the haze that obsured his sight.

The tall pillars with intricate designs were the first thing to grab his attention. Next, he saw the figure of a tall purple and gray entity making his way toward him. Clank's vision cleared a bit and he could recognise the ancient that was Dol Gruun fall onto one knee before him.

"Sire," he started, the familiar way his words left his mouth reached the receptors of Clank as the Zoni acknowledged, with trace uneasiness, the supplication he felt that wasn't his to recieve. "I am glad to see you have regained active consciousness."

"I am glad as well. What happened?"

"We felt the spirit of Gunak when Ratchet's—"

"—Balloch's," Clank cut in, not without that uncustomary anger he felt when he watched Gunak fall to the ground, life blown out of him by entry of the Slayer bullet. The image was too similar to Alister blasting Ratchet with an energy bolt from his omniwrench. Ratchet may have been saved by the power of The Great Clock, but Gunak had been put out of reach—forever gone. Both times, all Clank had been able to do was watch in horror as the objects of doom dealt their wills on their targets, removing them from life as Clank knew it. He'd been powerless the first time, but now, with his very soul awakened, granting him the power of his people, he still let another life slip through his time-controlling grip.

Why did he not do anything about it? Could he not have rewound time and saved Gunak? Why did he stay up in the air, afloat like a cloud that drifts lazily in the breeze?

" _Was I really in shock again? At least I reached for Ratchet... though I was too slow to grab hold._ "

"I know that Balloch currently controls Ratchet's mind... or he did."

The Zoni snapped from his reverie and addressed the crolnan with finality. "He got what he deserved. First Quincy, now Gunak. I will not stand by and watch my friends leave this life because I could do nothing about it."

Dol sighed, looking down and away. Clank picked up on the hidden fealty that made the once chief of the Crolnan bite his tongue. He shook his head as another blast sounded from outside the temple walls. "How is the shield?!" Dol demanded.

"It's holding! But we can't attack them! They're too many!" A crolnan responded immeadiately.

"Dol Gruun, allow me," Clank said resolutely, standing up without difficulty. The elder looked at him, failing to hide the astonishment that the Zoni found plainly evident on his wrinkled face. But Dol could see what gave the spark to those round circles of blinding, brilliant green.

"Sire, forgive me for speaking as frankly as I am about to but, I forbid you from going out there. Balloch may have gotten what he deserved but what about that soldier? Did he deserve it?"

For a brief moment, Clank's optics narrowed slightly. Only, it wasn't anger that did the deed, but instead the return of logic. Yet, what his processors supplied him only served to anger the crolnan elder upon hearing it himself.

"Did he not align himself with Balloch?"

"Sire! You are not yourself at the moment! Turning everyone out there to dust is not necessary!"

"I am more myself than I have ever been. I am XJ-0461: a Zoni like my father before me. As the son of Orvus, I order you to stand down!" He finished that spiel with his voice above his normal monotone. He even finished it above his stern voice. The one which he uses only when chastising those who are not listening to him.

He finished his spiel with a shout—an immensly rare occurence for the Zoni himself.

Yet, Dol was commanded to stand down. The crolnan knew that if he did, he would be dooming his enemies to existence elimination. It was something he wouldn't wish on even his worst foes.

Disgusted, Dol got off his knee and stood up, directly countermanding the exact words of Clank's order as he towered over the diminuitive Zoni. "This is madness," he articulated, looking down at his sire with a total disapproval. If one looked into Dol's eyes right now, they would see the eons-old contempt he has carried since he first watched his race deteriorate in front of him, when time travel drove his people to the mistakes that doomed the universe. When he stood before Cthruis, publically looking upon those who tarnished the fabric of the universe the most, listening to the words as the Agent Of Time pronounced his good deed done too late, it changed him.

He loved his people... especially those who were put under his charge. But that was the thing: those put under his charge did terrible things. Each one was sorry for what they've done. However, that wouldn't change a thing. Yet at the same time, Dol knew that he himself drove the final nail into the coffin that made them Crolnan. How could he lead then when he committed a crime as awful, if not more so, as the rest?

It was here, in a time like this, that his sacred duty surfaced, reminding him why he was here. He wasn't meant to lead the Crolnan in the typical manner that any leader was capable of. He was meant to lead while harboring thoughts that drove him to differ himself from his kinsmen.

For eons, he bore the test to the best of his ability. Every day, he awoke to meet those who were like him and yet not. He worked alongside them. He talked to them. He shared in their laughter, their sadness, their discontentment. And when he was needed, even though his task felt too much to take sometimes, he would remember the times he failed them and shove his disdain aside, making himself available to the needs of his charges.

It was the wake of those many, many, many, many millennia that Dol bore into the eyes of Clank. Here, in what would be only the merest of conceivable moments in comparison to what Dol lived through, it was the same disapproval he wished to show Clank. The Zoni's action was just as foolish as Dol's charges. He pleaded silently to his sire to not make the same mistake with the powers of time. To not afterward feel the guilt Dol knew for sure Clank would feel. He understood the feeling of watching those you love be lost. He and the rest of the Crolnan, Ulthrin especially, would mourn the loss of Gunak for what little time they have left in existence.

But going this far was not necessary.

Their surroundings seemed to fade into the background as they continued to hold the others's stare. But in the end, it was Clank who blinked first, lowering his head with a heavy shake, buried beneath the burden that Dol transmitted. He knew he was in the wrong. And his voice stuck a hand out of the avalanche of time and misery.

"I am sorry, Dol. Please forgive me."

Dol got back down on one knee again, his voice the hand that reached to pull Clank out from the mess. "As much as it is within me, I do. But I too have done wrong." He bowed his head low. "Please forgive me as well."

A small, painful smile found its way to grace the face of the Zoni robot as he nodded to Dol Gruun. "I do."

Another thundering explosion echoed around them.

"Dol! The shield is failing! Our men are starting to stagger!" A crolnan called out to the ancient, anxiety largely evident in his rising frantic tones.

Dol Gruun stood up and turned around, dashing toward the open temple door. Clank followed behind, rising into the air to keep pace with the ancient crolnan.

At the door, Dol barely took in the chaos that was outside before he rushed forward, breeching the threshold of the temple to take his place with his kin, placing his hands against the weakening shield, reinforcing it with his own might.

"Sire!" He called. "This won't hold! Go ahead and take them out! I trust you!"

Clank, from inside the temple, was able to see what Dol and the rest of the crolnan saw. Tens of tens of soldiers unceasingly besiged the temple. Only by the large, extensive reach of a crystalline shield the Crolnan had generated did the temple remain standing from the heavy artillery and unending onslaught delivered by Liege's men.

Clank nodded to himself before disappearing from sight. " _Time to end this once and for all._ "

 _ **R &C**_

They materialized amidst a full landing bay. Terin deployed his Praetorian omniwrench and dropped into guard stance. The Astronomer wrapped a hand around his dead staff tightly, leaning forward, bending slightly at the knee. The pilots and techs were taken aback by the seemingly sudden entrance of their enemies. And for a moment, no one moved for no one knew what to do. They all stood frozen in their positions, everyone watching the other one, waiting for something to break the silence.

"Ready when you are," the Astronomer whispered.

"Give me a moment," Terin responded equally quiet. He flattened his ears, perching them so they reached out wide. His hands moved swiftly to exchange hold of his wrench, focusing on any noise that would tip him off. No unholstered weapon snap, no cock of a loading gun, no steps that gave way to movement, nothing communicated anything that Terin could use to make a first reaction. Making the first move was always terrifying, especially when you were outnumbered anywhere from at least fifteen to twenty to one.

"On my word, move," the Astronomer said hastily.

"What?" Terin asked, only hearing that he spoke and not what he said.

"On my word, move," the Astronomer repeated, unable to keep his agitation at bay.

"Understood." Terin hadn't a clue what the Astronomer would do, but the lombax couldn't worry about that. Though no one moved a muscle yet, Terin noted the tension shifting in the air around them. Someone was going to snap, unleashing all sorts of heck that may or may not be castastrophic.

"MOVE!" The command from the Astronomer came, breaking the tension open as he dashed forward, making a beeline toward a pilot. In moments, the Astronomer had him on the ground, unconscious. Terin activated his hoverboots, launching himself into the air, making aerial ground that he used to sail the width of the hangar. Everyone ducked down and out of the way, hiding behind and under ships, unloading their guns. Terin landed against the wall, briefly deactivating his hoverboots before he jumped off the wall, using his hoverboots to jet over to the walk that overlooked the hangar.

The Astronomer met him as he arrived.

"As much as I would love to stick around," he began to Terin, blocking incoming bullets with an outstreched hand, donned in his shield gauntlet. "We've got to move, getting Talwyn and Nathaniel is our main goal."

"Of course," Terin replied, answering his own bullet storm with the unbreachable 'Praetorian Shield'. "I'll cover you."

"Thanks!" With that, the Astronomer got behind Terin before making a quick dash for the nearby door. Slowly, Terin began to move backward before he too came to the door, still more than able to deflect any munition that came his way. Upon backing through the open door's threshold, Terin stopped his Shield, turning around to find unconscious bodies on the ground before him. The Astronomer was nowhere to be found.

" _He must be ahead,_ " Terin thought before he broke into a sprint, looking for more fallen foes as he beat it down the halls and corridors. He came to a 'T' and quickly scanned both directions. The bodies made a left, so he took it, hoping that he would soon find the Astronomer.

* * *

"Sir, they've breached the hangar. They're making their way to the prison decks."

"Sivr soviulus toox jawqot azin."

"Yes sir." With a swift press of a button, the bridge personnel called for all available forces to converge on prison deck one to stop the intruders.

"Gase." Liege turned without a sound, pushing past other personnel on his way toward the door. " _Di-ak_ _mynera_ _, Elmbx._ "

* * *

Terin ran in near silence for some time, finally stopping to take a quick breather at a four-way intersection. It was something he would easily admit as a terrible place to end up. Anyone could come from anywhere. And amazing though the 'Praetorian Shield' was, it couldn't deflect three-sixty... more like one-fifty or one-sixty degrees. Terin shook his head, knowing that he had to get moving again.

" _You could have stuck around,_ " the lombax thought in annoyance. No matter. Terin just hoped that the Astronomer made it to Talwyn and Nathaniel and that he was freeing them as he stood here, thinking. Quickly, Terin made quick work of the halls, wondering what was down each one. The trail of bodies had run out sometime ago, leaving the lombax to go with his gut in deciding where he needed to go. But in this four-way space, Terin admitted that his gut was no longer helpful.

It was here that footsteps echoed in his ears. Terin quickly picked a hall and took its path, hoping that whoever was approaching came from a corner direction. Terin looked down his choice further and saw that it was free of enemies. A quick peek behind revealed the same. But that left the corner directions then where his enemy was coming toward him. Terin readied his wrench, dropping into guard stance, listening as the footsteps approached. They weren't running, but they were definitely making haste nevertheless. Oddly enough, Terin's nerves were at rest, leaving a quaint calmness in him. He didn't understand why, but he welcomed the feeling. At least he would be prepared for whatever came into view...

His stance faltered completely, face contorted by surprise, and mouth left hanging open from the one person he didn't expect to show.

In front of him, some cubits away, stood a broad figure cloaked in a brown robe. His hood obsured his face from the lombax, but that didn't matter. The robe's long sleeves could not hide the dead giveaway that were the long pincers which revealed who the mystery figure was.

"Liege." The words escaped the lombax's lips without his knowledge. In a seemingly acute answer, the cragmite reached for his hood and removed it off his head. The same beady black stare from before bore murder at the lombax. Terin regained composure, nodding to his enemy before returning to guard stance.

"So you decide to finally show your face. I was wondering if I could have a chance to see you. You know, before we destroy your fleet and all your men."

"Q-lul gurn di fuml di-ak gahlaf toox yln thoree wonn."

Terin smirked before chuckling darkly. Who knew those extra credit language classes were going to be of use this far down the road.

"You're welcome to try."

* * *

 **AN: Before we get into the translations proper (Yeah, I know how much you all love them) I do want to announce that I'm putting Project: Focal Point on hold until this story's completion. I'd like to apologize, but hopefully you'll understand where I come from when I say that To Travel The Days is almost complete and that I'm super excited about finishing my first story on this archive. (I know, by the time I finish it could very well be three years in the making. THREE!) I promise however, once this story is accomplished, I'll get cracking on some PFP... gosh I have so many things planned for Terin's story.**

 **Oh yeah, one more thing: WHO THE HECK IS EXCITED FOR THE SHOWDOWN BETWEEN TERIN AND LIEGE? I KNOW I AM!**

 ***clears throat***

 **Now, with that out of the way, translations are as follows:**

 **"Di-ak mynera, Elmbx." = "You're mine, Lombax."**

 **"Sivr soviulus toox jawqot azin." = "Send soldiers to intercept them."**

 **"Gase." = "Good."**

 **"Q-lul gurn di fuml di-ak gahlaf toox yln thoree wonn." = "I'll have you know you're going to eat those words."**


End file.
